Retribution
by VectorSigma101
Summary: Something terrible happens and the path to StarClan has been closed for seasons. No longer are the cats of the Clans going to StarClan after death and their spiritual ancestors have gone silent. Chaos has sprung and the few faithful ones are hanging by a thread. StarClan finally sends one of their own, a cat who will unite the cats once more, before it's too late. IN PROGRESS
1. Allegiances

**Alright, well I had this idea for a story for a long time so I'm here to give it a try. Hope you enjoy!**

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.**

**Cats belong to me.**

* * *

**ANCIENT CLANS**

**GALECLAN**

**Leader:**

Finchstar – dark ginger and white tom w/ black paws & tail-tip w/ emerald green eyes **Lives: 9**

**Deputy:**

Ashgaze – smokey gray tom w/ amber eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

Whispertail – silver tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

* * *

**SALMONCLAN**

**Leader:**

Pikestar – black tom w/ white spot on chest & green eyes **Lives: 9**

**Deputy:**

Heronclaw – dark brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

Spottedfoot – tortoiseshell & white tom w/ amber eyes

* * *

**MAPLECLAN**

**Leader:**

Vinestar – pale gray tabby she-cat w/ green eyes **Lives: 4**

**Deputy:**

Raincloud – pale gray she-cat w/ darker flecks & deep blue eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

Mistleleaf – dark gray tom w/ green eyes

* * *

**THORNCLAN**

**Leader:**

Talonstar – brown & white tom w/ amber eyes **Lives: 3**

**Deputy:**

Morningdawn – ginger & white she-cat w/ amber eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

Brightscar – bright ginger-red tom w/ amber eyes & a scar on left flank

* * *

**FROSTCLAN**

**Leader:**

Deerstar – gray tabby & white she-cat w/ blue eyes **Lives: 8**

**Deputy:**

Snowdrift – white tom w/ blue eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

Puddlepelt – pale gray & white tom w/ pale blue eyes

* * *

**STARCLAN **

Galestar – small, lithe pale gray tabby tom w/ pale blue eyes (original leader of GaleClan)

Salmonstar – dark gray dappled tom w/ dark blue eyes (original leader of SalmonClan)

Maplestar – ginger-brown she-cat w/ amber eyes (original leader of MapleClan)

Thornstar – dark brown tom w/ amber eyes (original leader of ThornClan)

Froststar – pure white she-cat w/ blue eyes (original leader of FrostClan)

Spiritwalker – creamy tabby tom w/ green eyes

* * *

**MORDERN CLANS**

**GALECLAN**

**Leader:**

Stormstar – dark blue-gray tabby tom w/ blue eyes **Lives: 1**

**Deputy:**

Juniperberry – dark blue she-cat w/ blue eyes

**Medicine Cats:**

Frozenwhisker – large, fluffy white tom w/ stubby tail & greenT eyes

Softwing – white & gray tabby she-cat w/ green eyes (formerly of MapleClan)

**Warriors:**

Stonedust – pale gray tom with lighter patches & green eyes **Apprentice – Falconpaw**

Shimmercloud – long-haired black she-cat w/ golden eyes

Blackflare – black tom w/ amber eyes **Apprentice – Wildpaw**

Frostdawn – white she-cat w/ amber eyes

Diamondsky – white & gray speckled tom w/ deep blue eyes

Redbelly – brown tom w/ dark ginger underbelly & amber eyes

Morningwish – pale gray she-cat w/ blue eyes

Silverfeather – silver tabby tom w/ green eyes

**Apprentices:**

Wildpaw – gray tabby tom w/ green eyes

Falconpaw – dark brown tabby tom w/ lighter paws & amber eyes

**Queens:**

Sandfern – sand-colored she-cat w/ green eyes (mother of Redbelly's kits: 3 moons old)

Littlefeather – light ginger tabby she-cat w/ green eyes (mother of Diamondsky's kits: 1 moon old)

**Kits:**

Shrewkit – dark brown tom w/ amber eyes

Flamekit – dark ginger tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

Cloudkit – white she-cat w/ green eyes

Specklekit – speckled white & ginger she-cat w/ green eyes

**Elders:**

Dustbone – brown & white tom w/ amber eyes

Sunstorm – dark ginger tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes

Silvermoon – silver tabby tom w/ blind green eyes (formerly of MapleClan)

Lilyflower – pale gray she-cat w/ twisted back leg & blue eyes (formerly of MapleClan)

Clawfur – scarred pale tom w/ amber eyes (formerly of MapleClan)

* * *

**SALMONCLAN**

**Leader:**

Mintstar – light gray tabby she-cat w/ green eyes **Lives: 1**

**Deputy:**

Puddlesplash – brown she-cat w/ white patches & amber eyes **Apprentice – Wishpaw**

**Medicine Cat:**

Appletree – golden-tabby she-cat w/ green eyes

**Warriors:**

Whitewater – white tom w/ blue eyes

Creekfur – pale gray tabby she-cat w/ blue eyes

Pebblestreak – mottled gray & white tom w/ green eyes **Apprentice – Winterpaw**

Vixenwing – dark gray tabby tom w/ black paws & amber eyes

Mudfang – dark brown tom w/ amber eyes **Apprentice – Moonpaw**

Mossystone – dark brown mottled she-cat w/ green eyes

Blackfin – white & black tom w/ golden eyes

Ringedpelt – silver she-cat w/ black stripes & golden eyes

**Apprentices:**

Moonpaw – silver tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Wishpaw – silver tabby she-cat w/ blue eyes

Winterpaw – white tom w/ blue eyes

**Queen:**

Fishfur – blue-gray she-cat w/ blue eyes (mother of Vixenwing's kits: 2 moons old)

**Kits:**

Blizzardkit – dark white tom w/ blue eyes

Beechkit – dark gray tom w/ blue eyes

Tinykit – small, pale gray tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes

**Elders:**

Oakstump – small, dark brown tom w/ amber eyes

Birchleaf – small, pale cream-colored tom w/ amber eyes

Robinflight – light brown tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes

* * *

**MAPLECLAN**

**Leader:**

Thistlestar – large, spiky black tabby tom w/ green eyes **Lives: 1**

**Deputy:**

Batear – small, dark brown & black tom w/ amber eyes & large ears **Apprentice – Dawnpaw**

**Warriors:**

Thornnose – scarred dark gray tom w/ amber eyes **Apprentice – Flowerpaw**

Harvestmoon – pale golden tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes

Solarstorm – mottled white & ginger tom w/ amber eyes

Emberblaze – dark ginger tom w/ amber eyes **Apprentice – Bluepaw**

Cherryblossom– tortoiseshell & white she-cat w/ amber eyes

Rattooth – mottled ginger & white tom w/ amber eyes **Apprentice – Echopaw**

Spidereye – dark brown tabby tom w/ one amber eye

Birdsong – brown tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes

**Apprentices:**

Flowerpaw – pale golden tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes

Bluepaw – blue-gray she-cat w/ blue eyes

Dawnpaw – pale gray she-cat w/ blue eyes

Echopaw – gray tabby tom w/ blue eyes

**Queen:**

Petalpelt – white she-cat w/ green eyes (mother of Solarstorm's kits: 4 moons old)

**Kits:**

Snowkit – white tom w/ green eyes

Frostkit – white she-cat w/ green eyes

* * *

**CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS**

**Rogues:**

Talon – dark brown tom w/ amber eyes

Sniff – fuzzy dark ginger tom w/ green eyes

Razor – black & white tom w/ amber eyes

Cinders – cream-colored & brown she-cat w/ blue eyes

Moth – small, brown & white she-cat w/ amber eyes

Stumpy – dark brown tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Timber – dark brown tom w/ amber eyes

Shadow – black tom w/ golden eyes

Grapes – dark gray she-cat w/ blue eyes

Moss – mottled brown & white she-cat w/ green eyes

**Loners:**

Jetstream – silver-black tom w/ blue eyes

Lightningblaze – black tom w/ amber eyes

Hoot – black tom w/ amber eyes

Junior – black & white tom w/ green eyes

Petaldrop – small, pale gray she-cat w/ blue eyes

Bumblebee – golden-brown & black tom w/ bright green eyes

Pepperfeet – speckled black & white she-cat w/ green eyes

Piper – golden tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Peaches – young, ginger tabby tom w/ green eyes

Strudel – small, brown tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes (mother of Junior's kits: 2 moons old; Crumbs – small, light brown she-cat w/ amber eyes, Toast – white & black tom w/ amber eyes)

Maple – ginger tabby & white she-cat w/ green eyes (mother of Hoot's kit: 1 moon old; Honey – cream-colored tabby she-cat w/ black stripe down back & green eyes)

**Kittypets:**

Buddy – large, fat golden tabby tom w/ amber eyes

Max – black tom w/ golden eyes

Ruby – pale brown tabby she-cat w/ amber eyes

Keith – fuzzy, dark brown tom w/ amber eyes

Jupiter – dark ginger tabby tom w/ green eyes

Venus – pretty, ginger she-cat w/ green eyes

AJ – pale gray tabby she-cat w/ green eyes


	2. Prologue

**Alright, well here we go! Don't forget to enjoy and review (in that order preferably!)**

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter**

**All cats belong to me.**

* * *

A chilly breeze ruffled the brown and white tom's fur. He gently fluffed up his sleek fur as he waited for the other leaders by the Gathering Place. He let his gaze travel to the Large Claws, which were five large boulders that surrounding the sacred place. The dark gray boulders were at least five fox-lengths tall and resembled claws and each one led into a Clans' territory. Legend has it that placed these boulders to protect the Star Pond, located directly beneath the Gathering Place. The Star Pond was where each leader received their nine lives and where the medicine cats met each half-moon to speak to StarClan.

The tom shivered as another breeze ruffled his fur. He remembered the night he received his nine lives and officially became a Clan leader. It was the night his entire life changed, for the better, of course. The tom has served his Clan well for the past couple of seasons, and he wouldn't change it for the better.

"Talonstar!" a voice called to the tom. The ThornClan leader turned to see the beautiful Vinestar, the leader of MapleClan, padding towards him with her Clanmates behind her. "I apologize for the delay."

Though Vinestar did not explain why, Talonstar did not ponder on it and nodded his head towards the pale gray tabby she-cat. "Nothing to worry about, Vinestar. We've all been late before."

Vinestar flicked her left ear. "Speaking of lateness…where are the others?"

"They haven't arrived yet."

"Well I hope they do soon," Vinestar remarked and sat down next to the ThornClan leader. "It's getting chilly and it won't be long until leaf-bare arrives." She glanced upwards towards the top of the Frail Sheet. "Should we take our places yet?"

Talonstar glanced in her direction and then at the stars above them. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and their ancestors shone brightly above them. "Not yet. Let's wait a little longer."

The Frail Sheet was a rock fox-length above them. Though not very tall, it had ample enough of space in the shape of a circle for all five leaders to sit upon. On top of the Frail Sheet were very frail rocks, giving its name. Legend has it if any cat disobeys the Gathering, the rock will break and send the cat tumbling into the frigid Star Pond, where StarClan will deem its judgment. It had happened before, according to legend, when a cat attacked the other Clans during a Gathering. The rock broke, sending the cat tumbling into the pond and the cat was never seen again. StarClan apparently restored the rock and made sure no cat would break its code ever again.

"Race you to the Large Claws, Deerstar!" a voice called from outside the pillars. Talonstar instantly flinched as he recognized that voice.

"Finchstar, you know I can't run!" another voice called and a dark ginger and white tom with black paws and tail-tip dashed into the area surrounded by the Large Claws. He skidded to a halt and turned around to see a gray tabby and white she-cat slowly running to meet him.

"Slow-poke!" Finchstar gently teased and softly shouldered the FrostClan leader as the rest of their Clanmates filled into the area.

"What took you two so long?" Vinestar asked.

"We were busy with things," Finchstar remarked and glanced at Deerstar. Deerstar avoided his gaze.

"_We?_" Talonstar repeated and glanced at Vinestar.

Finchstar slightly glared at the older leader. "Our Clans met up and we walked the rest of the way here. Is that a problem?"

"N-Not at all," Talonstar responded. He never liked the GaleClan leader. Finchstar was made leader three moons ago, while Deerstar had been leader for five moons. Finchstar was reckless and had little respect for the older leaders. He and Deerstar grew up as friends in their respective Clans; the two were announced as apprentices and warriors at the same Gathering and it was obvious the two were close friends.

_Perhaps too close. _Talonstar thought. He had yet to share his thoughts with Vinestar, but he assumed the she-cat shared the same thoughts as he did.

"He-Hey, Finchstar!" a black tom with a white fleck on his chest meowed from behind the GaleClan leader. "Guess who was made leader last quarter-moon?"

Finchstar's green eyes lit up and he obviously forgotten the latest argument with Talonstar. "Congratulations, Pike_star_!" he purred as the two touched noses.

"Oh, no," Talonstar muttered and he rolled his amber eyes as Vinestar let out an _mrrow_ of amusement. Pikestar had been a friend of Finchstar and Deerstar as well and the three were always troublemakers during Gatherings. He remembered when the he and Finchstar got into a play-fight during the middle of a Gathering a few seasons ago. The two were _deputies_ back then, for StarClan's sake!

"Congrats, Pikestar!" Deerstar purred as well.

"Thanks, Deerstar!" the new SalmonClan leader happily purred. "And congratulations on your news as well!"

"What news?" Vinestar interrupted.

"Oh…just new warriors. It's always exciting when a new warrior is made, isn't it?" Deerstar quickly meowed.

Vinestar and Talonstar shared another glance.

"Well," Talonstar interrupted. "Shall we get this Gathering under way?"

The other four leaders nodded as Talonstar leapt up the rock and sat on Frail Sheet. The other leaders took their places as the Gathering started.

"I shall start," Talonstar meowed and glanced at the other leaders for any objections. There were none. Talonstar took a few paw-steps forward and raised his voice as he began to share his news. "ThornClan is doing well this moon. We have two new queens with litters of kits and our Clan is doing well to prepare for the cold moons to come."

Vinestar replaced him after Talonstar moved back. "MapleClan is also doing well this moon. We have three new warriors amongst ourselves today: Ferretfang, Applefoot, and Thunderclaw!"

Talonstar looked down at the horde of cats gathered beneath them and noticed three cats raising their heads high for all to see as the surrounding cats cheered their names.

Vinestar stepped back as Pikestar took her place. The new leader stood tall as he delivered his first address. "As you may now know by now, the former leader of SalmonClan—Fruitstar—has passed away a quarter-moon ago. May her spirit now rest in StarClan."

There were a few heartbeats of silence in her honor, which was quickly broken by Finchstar's snickering as he and Deerstar playfully shoulder each other. After a quick glare by Talonstar, Pikestar was able to resume his speech.

"I have become Pikestar now with Heronclaw as my deputy," the new leader glanced down at his dark brown tabby deputy below, "and I hope to fill Fruitstar's paws as well as I can."

"We wish you a long reign, Pikestar," Vinestar happily meowed as Pikestar took a few steps back.

"And may Fruitstar watch over you as you guide your Clan," Talonstar replied.

The black tom flashed the two older leaders a grateful glance.

It was Deerstar's turn and the young gray tabby & white she-cat slowly padded up towards the center of the Frail Sheet when she suddenly tripped and landed on her flank.

"Deerstar!" Finchstar cried and quickly approached her flank. "Are you alright?" The other three leaders quickly surrounded her while the numerous cats below started murmuring to each other.

"I'm—I'm fine," Deerstar replied as she clenched her teeth and slowly got to her paws with the help of Finchstar.

"Deerstar…are you…?" Vinestar began to ask as she glanced at her flank.

"She said she's fine, Vinestar," Finchstar snapped as he refused to leave Deerstar's side. It was obvious he knew what she was about to say.

Talonstar followed Vinestar's gaze and was shocked to see that he failed to notice Deerstar's slightly bulging belly.

Along with the faint scent of milk.

"Are you...expecting kits?" Talonstar gasped.

Deerstar let out a whimper as she and Finchstar shared a quick glance.

Before anyone could say anything else, Finchstar let out a growl. "Before you say anything," he growled, "I'll say it right now. You're bound to figure it out anyway." He raised his head and his voice so that all the cats may hear him. "Deerstar is expecting my kits."

"What?!" Talonstar hissed after there were a few heartbeats of silence as the cats tried to take that piece of information in.

Finchstar did not waver under the older cat's harsh words. "You heard what I said. Deerstar is having my kits."

"Since when?" Vinestar growled.

"This is unacceptable!" Talonstar growled, furious at his fellow leaders for breaking their precious code, "and completely against the warrior code!"

"Oh, forget the warrior code, old cat!" Finchstar growled and his shoulder fur rose a bit. "It's just a list of stupid rules that were made by cats who no longer matter to us."

"How dare you say that! You're a Clan leader!" Vinestar snarled and bore her teeth. "The warrior code always matters and it always will! It's there to protect us and it is what separates us from rogues!"

"What if you have to face Deerstar or one of your kits in battle, Finchstar?" Talonstar growled. "It will happen one of these days if these kits are to be born."

Finchstar's entire pelt rose and he bore his teeth. "I will always protect Deerstar and my kits from anyone or anything who tries to hurt them." He lowered his body as if to pounce on the ThornClan leader. "And that includes any cat who threatens my family."

"Why can't you two be happy for Finchstar and Deerstar?" Pikestar asked from his side of the Frail Sheet. "They finally have the family they always wanted."

"That doesn't matter, Pikestar," Talonstar snapped, turning his gaze towards the black tom. "What matters is that they broke the warrior code and betrayed their Clans."

"I would never betray my Clan!" Finchstar hissed. "I'm doing what's best for them. What we need is an alliance with FrostClan and these kits will help us achieve that. We are stronger together than we are apart."

"Are you suggestion four Clans, Finchstar?" Vinestar growled. "There have always been five Clans here, just as there have always been five Large Claws!"

Finchstar snorted and rolled his green eyes. "Are you saying that we should only have five Clans because of the number of _rocks_ here? No, we are stronger together when we trust our instinct. Think of what we can accomplish with four Clans? There would be more territory to go around and thus more prey for our Clans during leaf-bare."

"You're wrong, Finchstar, and StarClan will punish you for it," Talonstar hissed.

"You can't stop me, old cat," Finchstar growled. "Nothing will stop me from loving Deerstar or from protecting my kits. Not even StarClan. They're just a bunch of dead cats up in the sky who only _watch_ us. They are like spectators up there, only there to watch their loved ones live out their lives when their ended. Face it, Talonstar, when you lose all of your lives, you'll be dead forever and you'll be forced to watch the Clan you love so much go on as if you didn't matter anymore, 'cause guess what? You don't matter to any cat."

_That's it, fluff-ball!_

"How dare you defy StarClan!" Talonstar hissed. With a mighty roar, Talonstar leapt on Finchstar. The younger tom was surprised that the older leader attacked him, but soon the two wrestled on top of Frail Sheet. Both of the toms' loud caterwauls deafened the _crack_ that came from beneath them. "You always were an arrogant tom!" Talonstar yowled as he raked his claws on Finchstar's belly. The younger leader howled and quickly grabbed the ThornClan leader's head with his front paws and sunk his sharp fangs into Talonstar's head. Quickly getting his front paws free, Talonstar dug his claws into Finchstar's head and raked down.

"Stop!" Vinestar yowled.

"Finchstar, please stop!" Deerstar wailed.

The two toms ignored the she-cats' pleas to stop and it was only when the other leaders pulled them apart did they finally cease fighting.

"ThornClan scum!" Finchstar growled as Pikestar and Deerstar held him from attacking Talonstar once more. He quickly shook the blood that was beginning to drip down his face. "This isn't settled yet, Thorn cat!"

Talonstar merely snorted, the fresh wound on his shoulder dripping blood.

Finchstar, somehow overcoming Pikestar and Deerstar, launched himself at Talonstar. Vinestar intercepted the ginger, white and black tom and the two rolled around on the flat surface. Pikestar threw himself on top of Vinestar and Talonstar did his best to remove the new leader off of his old friend. Deerstar stood there, at the edge of the Frail Sheet, watching in horror as her fellow Clan leaders fought with tooth and claw over something she helped caused.

_Crack!_

The deafening sound filled the hollow as the four leaders froze in their tussle. They quickly separated from their fight and starred in horror at the rock below them. The sheet was beginning to crumble and ominous cracks laced the rock beneath them.

"No cat…move…" Talonstar muttered, fearful that his voice just might break the fragile rock.

"This is all your fault, Talonstar," Finchstar whispered fiercely.

"My fault? You're the one who got Deerstar pregnant!" Talonstar hissed.

_Crack…crack…_

"I love Deerstar and we both wanted these kits!" Finchstar whispered.

"This defies the warrior code!"

"Oh, please, Talonstar, it's not like you don't love Vinestar!" the GaleClan leader huffed.

Talonstar froze with his mouth agape.

_How does he know that?!_

He quickly turned to Vinestar, who struck a similar pose. Finally finding his voice, the ThornClan leader meowed, "At least I didn't pursue that passion!"

"So you do love her, don't you?"

Talonstar didn't respond.

_Crack…crack…crack…_

"So now you know how I feel. I love Deerstar so much that I chose to let my feelings free. It's better to have loved than to never have loved at all."

"That is besides the point! You broke the warrior code!"

_Crack…crack…crack…!_

Finchstar held his head high and tall. The tom bore his sharp teeth and made sure his fur stood on end.

"Screw the warrior code."

_CRACK!_

The frail rock sheets beneath the five leaders finally gave away at the sound of the final crack. All five Clan leaders tumbled down into the frigid water below. Waves were formed as the cats struggled to swim and reach the surface. It wasn't long until the water settled and small patches of bubbles rose to the surface.

"Talonstar!" Morningdawn, a bright ginger and white she-cat, yowled from the top of the cavern. The rest of the deputies and the medicine cats glanced downward towards the water, hoping to see any signs of their fallen leaders.

There were none.

"They're…gone…" Ashgaze, a smokey gray tom and the GaleClan deputy, murmured.

"Look at the water!" Puddlepelt, a pale gray and white tom and the FrostClan medicine cat, yowled and every cat's attention was turned towards the water. The once still water filled with the stars of their ancestors gently rippled as the blood from the fallen warriors' wounds began to spread throughout the water, slowly taking out each star, one by one, until there weren't any stars left, but a bloody pond. The cats of the Clans gazed upwards towards the heavens and saw only the stars staring at them back.

From that day forth, no cat entered StarClan and the five Clans began to lose hope.

All because of five cats.


	3. Chapter 1

**Here's the next chapter I whipped up! Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.**

**Characters belongs to me.**

* * *

A small, lithe pale gray tabby tom padded into a clearing surrounded by trees. The tall grasses were covered in frozen dew and a small pond lay in the center of the opening. The tom motioned with his long tail for the other cats behind him to come into the clearing. A dark gray dappled tom first came out from the shelter from the towering trees and a ginger-brown she-cat followed him. Behind the she-cat, a dark brown tom and a pure white she-cat arrived in the clearing.

The first cat motioned with his tail for the others to settle down around him. "We need to talk."

"Well that's obvious," the dark brown tom remarked.

"Quiet, Thornstar. Let Galestar talk," the ginger-brown she-cat snarled. Thornstar opened his mouth to retort something, but the glare from the she-cat made him reconsider.

"Very well," Galestar meowed. "I have called you here because the Clans we founded are in dire need of our assistance."

"For the record, it's not our fault they strayed away from StarClan," Thornstar interrupted. "They're the ones who broke the warrior code and thus have broken the link between the Clans and us."

"That is true," the dark gray dappled tom agreed.

"But we could've at least sent some sort of sign to let them know that we are still watching, Salmonstar," the ginger-brown she-cat insisted, "Like they were expecting."

"But, we were unable to send one because the link is broken, Maplestar," Salmonstar argued. "We can't send dreams to the Clan leaders or the medicine cats because of the broken link."

"Well that's not our fault," Thornstar muttered and then spoke louder. "Shouldn't we leave this to the younger cats around here? We have already done our part long ago."

"But they are still our decedents, Thornstar, and we are just as responsible for them as anyone else here is," Galestar rebuked.

"Or what's left of them," Thornstar mumbled once more.

The pure white she-cat, who had stayed quiet for the duration of the conversation, suddenly jumped to her paws and let out a growl of frustration. "For our _sake_," she snapped, "can we _please_ figure out a way to save our Clans?"

"That's what we're doing, Froststar," Thornstar grumbled.

The former FrostClan leader swung her head to glare at the arrogant tom. "My Clan is _gone_ now and I am tired of sitting here watching my former Clanmates turn into kittypets and loners and I'm done with listening to others complain, especially **you**, Thornstar!"

Thornstar let out a whimper and took a few pawsteps back. "Alright, alright, Froststar. We'll think of something to save the Clans."

"Or…some cat."

The other four leaders turned to look at the former GaleClan leader with awe.

"What?" Maplestar asked.

"We'll send one of our own; a cat who will convince our decedents to turn to the warrior code once again. It'll be difficult, mostly because it's been seasons since they've last seen any of us, but…it's our only chance to revive the Clans," Galestar explained.

"Alright…" Salmonstar agreed while the other leaders merely nodded. "Who shall we send, then?"

"The cat will have to be quick on their paws and must adapt to the Clans' environments," Maplestar meowed.

"And they must represent all of StarClan," Thornstar replied.

"Why not that young cat who always hangs around here…what was his name?" Salmonstar suggested.

"Spiritwalker?" Froststar asked.

Salmonstar nodded. "That's his name!"

"Spiritwalker…didn't he die when he was twelve moons old due to drowning in the River when it was frozen near the border between SalmonClan and FrostClan territory?" Maplestar asked.

"Ah, yes, I remember now," Thornstar recalled. "It was your deputy, Froststar, who gave him his warrior name after he died as an apprentice."

"Spiritwalker never got to earn his warrior status," Froststar murmured, "And he died way too early to prove that he could be a warrior."

"Well now he has his chance," Salmonstar meowed.

"Spiritwalker…Spiritwalker…" Galestar chanted and looked at Froststar. "Do you know here he is?"

Froststar nodded.

"Excellent," Galestar meowed. "Bring him here so we can let him in on our plan. For all we know, he could be our only hope."

* * *

A cream-colored tabby tom with bright stars in his fur quickly padded around a dark oak tree, his nose to the ground. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth to take in the scents.

_Hmm…there!_

The tom opened his eyes after successfully locating the scent and merely glanced up into the branches. There, he spotted the ginger pelt of his friend among the bare branches.

"Found you, Acornfur!" the tom gleefully cheered as the other tom let out a moan and quickly made his way down the tree.

"How did you find me, Spiritwalker?" Acornfur mumbled once he was on the ground.

The tom quickly flicked his tail towards his nose. "Nothing can beat a FrostClan's sense of smell, silly!"  
Acornfur rolled his eyes as his friend let out a smirk.

"Spiritwalker," a voice called from behind the two toms and a pure white she-cat appeared from the undergrowth.

"Froststar? Is that really you?" Spiritwalker asked.

"It's good to see you again, Spiritwalker," Froststar greeted. "Come with me; you are needed by the Star Pond."

Spiritwalker nodded and began to follow the white leader into the undergrowth.

"What am I needed for exactly, Froststar?" Spiritwalker asked as they traveled along a path that led to the Star Pond.

"You shall see soon," Froststar merely responded and the two continued to walk for several minutes until they emerged from the undergrowth into the clearing where the Star Pond was. There, the other four original Clan leaders were waiting for them around the pond.

"Whoa, it's the other original leaders! It's a huge honor to be in your presence!" Spiritwalker fangirled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it," Thornstar growled.

"Spiritwalker," Galestar meowed. "You are needed for a special mission."

"A special mission from StarClan?" Spiritwalker gaped.

"Correct," the pale gray tabby tom meowed and padded towards the pond that the six cats encircled. He tapped the water with his front paw and amongst the ripples an image appeared of five Clan leaders at a Gathering. They appeared to be in a heated argument. "How much do you know about this scenario?"

"Only that Deerstar's pregnancy was what sparked the argument that eventually led to the link between StarClan and the Clans to be corrupted," Spiritwalker replied.

Galestar nodded. "Good. It's been too long since we've last made contact with the Clans and we are unable to send omens and prophecies to them since the link was hindered…but we are able to send a cat to the world of the living."

"That's where you come in," Salmonstar continued. "We are going to send you back to the Clans and you must convince them of our existence and teach them the warrior code."

"Teach them?" Spiritwalker asked.

"The majority of the cats down there do not know what the warrior code is," Maplestar went on. "You are responsible for teaching them it once again."

"Alright…well…what's it like down there?" Spiritwalker gingerly asked.

"GaleClan is still intact, but they lost sight of the warrior code," Thornstar meowed. "SalmonClan's there as well, but a group of cats are still forming MapleClan though they are quite corrupt and do whatever they feel like doing. As for my Clan and FrostClan…well…they're gone."

"_Gone?_" Spiritwalker squawked. "What do you mean, _'gone'?_"

"The cats have given up on everything and they have become kittypets…loners and rogues," Froststar replied. "Nearly every Clan lost some members."

"I see…" Spiritwalker replied. "This seems like a serious mission, a mission that I will undoubtedly accept, and I will do my best to revive the Clans."

"That's what we hoped you would say," Galestar responded. "We shall also make you alive once again, which means you must be wary of injury and disease. You won't be invincible anymore. Also, since we can't send any omens or prophecies, we will be unable to communicate to you until the cats start to believe in us once again."

"But how can they believe if they don't see?" Spiritwalker asked.

"You must make them believe, Spiritwalker," Froststar gently meowed. "We have faith in you. If you fail…it will undoubtedly be the end of the Clans and our existence."

"Wait…what?" Spiritwalker asked.

"If there are no more cats going to StarClan, and no cat believes, then what's the point of StarClan?" Thornstar asked. "The only reason why we are still here is because the Clans are still there and few still believe in us. If you fail, the remaining Clans will undoubtedly disperse and those who still believe won't."

"The fate of StarClan rests in your paws," Maplestar meowed.

"That's a lot of pressure on one cat, but I will do my best," Spiritwalker replied.

"Good. Do you have any questions before you go?" Froststar softly meowed.

After thinking for a moment, Spiritwalker nodded. "How is it that you can't send omens or prophecies but you can send a cat to the living world?"

"Simple," Salmonstar smirked. "Omens and prophecies are either sent through dreams or happen in the real life as signs. Dreams are way too complicated for us to do right now, since there's not enough cats who believe in us, and signs are out of the question since we don't have the power now to change the real world for the same reason. Sending a cat…it's not changing anything or having to do with any cats' mind."

"Sounds reasonable," Spiritwalker meowed. "I am ready to go to the living world."

Galestar nodded and the five original Clan leaders let out caterwauls to the diamond-flecked sky. Bright golden wisps began to appear and orbit around the young cat.

"Good luck on your quest, young Spiritwalker," Maplestar meowed. "We will be watching your progress."

"If you can convince enough cats to believe in us and the warrior code by the next moon, bring the five chosen leaders to the Gathering Place and we will do the rest," Galestar meowed.

"Can't you tell me who the five chosen leaders are?" Spiritwalker managed to yowl. More wisps began to appear and they glowed brighter and brighter as they orbited faster and faster around the young tom. Spiritwalker began to feel himself disappearing and noticed that his front paws were almost gone.

The last thing Spiritwalker saw was Thornstar's smirk. "Now that would be _too_ easy, huh?"

And then he was gone.


	4. Chapter 2

**Thanks for reviewing and reading! Just remember that the modern story takes place YEARS after the prologue. Much has happened since the prologue so keep that in mind. :P**

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter**

**Cats belongs to me**

**Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!**

* * *

Spiritwalker awoke; his bright green eyes gingerly casting glances around him. He lay in an open clearing with large dark blue rocks surrounding him. The ground beneath him was covered in pale, soft green grass. A fallen pine tree was leaning on its stump to his right and several smaller bushes laced around the clearing. Colossal pine trees surrounded the boulders, with smaller fir trees dominating the lower grounds.

_I remember this place…_ Spiritwalker thought as he glanced around the surrounding landscape. Suddenly long forgotten memories filled the young tom's mind as ghostly cats filled the clearing. The clearing was bursting with multiple cats. Several older cats were resting in front of a plant with large leaves that hid a hidden entrance among two boulders. Several other cats were sharing a rabbit not far from the fallen pine while five other cats entered from behind Spiritwalker, each carrying a piece of fresh-kill. Three kits played moss-ball to Spiritwalker's left as a lone white she-cat sat outside another cave entrance, glancing around the camp. A black tom was quietly conversing with a white she-cat near the largest boulder with two other cats next to them. Finally, two younger cats, one a cream-colored tabby tom and the other a paler cream she-cat, playfully chased each other around the camp, laughing and obviously having a good time.

_This is the old FrostClan camp!_ Spiritwalker mused as he recognized the cats all around him, and even himself as the young cream-colored apprentice. The sound of chattering cats and playful laughter soon died down as the spirits soon faded away, leaving the young tom in the empty camp.

"But…if this is the FrostClan camp…" Spiritwalker meowed as he leapt upon the Frost Rock, where the Clan leader would gather the Clan for meetings. "Then…where is everyone?"

Spiritwalker detected no fresh scents, for the Clan cats have left seasons ago. The scent he could detect was the scent of the evergreens and the sweet scent of prey.

It suddenly occurs to the FrostClan tom that there was something different about his fur. The once ageless and glimmering stars that used to lace his cream fur were gone; instead, they were placed by the solidity of a real, living body.

"That could get some getting used to," Spiritwalker mumbled to himself.

_The leaders told me to reunite the Clans…but where should I start?_

Suddenly, the scent of another cat alerted the tom from his thoughts.

_A cat! A real living cat!_

Spiritwalker quickly padded towards the source of the scent towards the nearby fir trees. He quickly got sight of a speckled black and white she-cat stalking a few fox-lengths away.

Perhaps she knows about the Clans!

Spiritwalker called as he padded from the fir trees towards the she-cat. The she-cat sharply looked up and before quickly glancing ahead of her.

"Mouse-dung!" she cursed and dashed forward into the undergrowth.

"Hey, wait up!" Spiritwalker cried and dashed after the she-cat. He barely made it a few fox-lengths forward when the she-cat reappeared from the undergrowth and reared towards him.

"Now look what you've done!" she snapped, her ears drawn back and her lips drew back to a snarl. "I had that squirrel until you chased it off!"

"Sorry!" Spiritwalker winced. "I didn't know you were hunting!"

The she-cat gave him an odd look. "What did you think I was doing then?"

"I'm…I'm not sure," Spiritwalker confessed. How was he supposed to know that she was hunting?

The she-cat stopped glaring at him and sat down. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"How do you know?"

"You smell like frost and morning dew," she explained. "And you didn't know I was hunting. Every cat knows that."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Where I come from, cats don't need to hunt," Spiritwalker explained.

The she-cat tilted her head. "Then…are you a kittypet?"

"A kittypet?! No!" Spiritwalker exclaimed. "I just come from a long way."

The she-cat stared at him for a few heartbeats before nodding and accepting his answer.

"So…" Spiritwalker meowed. "What's your name?"

The speckled she-cat blinked and looked startled for a heartbeat before relaxing. "My name's Pepperfeet."

"Greetings, my name is Spiritwalker," the tom replied.

_Her name is like a warrior name! I wonder if she's part of a Clan._

"That's an unusual name," Pepperfeet remarked. "Spiritwalker. Almost like a ghost or something."

"You might say that," Spiritwalker responded.

Pepperfeet flicked her ears before turning to pad away. "Well, I suppose I better go and find some more prey to catch."

"Wait!" Spiritwalker yelped and Pepperfeet quickly turned back around. "Do you know where I can find some other cats?"

Pepperfeet narrowed her green eyes. "No, I do not," she replied before vanishing into the undergrowth.

"Well there goes my chance," Spiritwalker mumbled and glanced around him at the colossal trees.

_Perhaps I can see more from upon a tree._

Grateful that he was taught how to climb trees, Spiritwalker quickly ran up to a sturdy pine and dug his claws into the tough bark. Skillfully, he climbed the tree, using his hind legs to push himself further up the tree. Deciding he was high enough, Spiritwalker settled on one of the highest branches and gazed out at the landscape in front of him.

Directly ahead were more trees, mostly oak, maple, elm and birch trees with more evergreens mixed in to the left. More closer to where Spiritwalker sat was a marshy clearing with a large river secluding it off from the rest of the area. To Spiritwalker's furthest left was a large open clearing filled with tall grasses and tall trees surrounded the perimeter of the large meadow. In the center of all the landscapes, was a small opening with large rocks surrounding it.

"At least the territories haven't changed that much," Spiritwalker meowed as he began to climb down.

"Perhaps Pepperfeet knows where more cats live," Spiritwalker thought out loud after he leapt down from the tree. Something told the young tom that the speckled she-cat knew more than she was saying. Scenting the air, Spiritwalker detected traces of their scent, and soon picked out the she-cat's scent. It didn't take long until he managed to find her trail, and began to follow it. As he weaved around pine trees, Spiritwalker noticed that he was beginning to get further away from the familiar territory. He soon found the former border, as he recognized it from its looks, since the familiar FrostClan border was long gone. As he traveled further away from the old territory, Spiritwalker found himself in a deeper part of the evergreen forest and soon, after a few minutes of walking, detected more scents.

_Cats!_

Padding quickly, Spiritwalker hid behind a bush next to a tree and glanced out at the small clearing in front of him. There were multiple boulders and bushes that were scattered among the clearing. Two toms, one a silver-black and the other a black, sat next to each other near a boulder, quietly conversing. Two queens sat under a bush as their three kits laughed and chased each other around the bush. A pale gray she-cat groomed herself not far while two toms, one black and the other black and white, shared tongues. Two other toms, one a golden tabby and the other a brown and black, appeared into the clearing, each carrying a squirrel. Spiritwalker recognized Pepperfeet as she padded towards the two toms near the boulder. The three exchanged a few words before glanced around the clearing.

_It's almost like a Clan camp!_

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a snarl came from behind Spiritwalker and he slowly turned around to see a snarling young ginger tabby tom. His yowl alerted the rest of the cats as the queens hid their kits and the other cats raced forward.

"Go on!" the tom hissed as he roughly shoved Spiritwalker forward. Spiritwalker stumbled into the clearing and the cats greeted him with snarls and growls.

And they did not look happy.


	5. Chapter 3

**Welcome back! Sorry it took a while to upload; had stuff with school and new inspiration for _The Return_. **

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.**

**Cats belong to me.**

* * *

"Who are you?" a silver-black tom growled. The cats around him snarled and hissed at Spiritwalker.

Now you've done it!

"M-My name is Spiritwalker," he gingerly meowed, unsure if these loners were going to rip his fur off.

"How did you find us?" a black tom hissed.

"I…I followed Pepperfeet here," Spiritwalker answered.

The silver-black tom growled and reared towards Pepperfeet. The black and white she-cat tentatively took a few pawsteps back.

"You let this loner find our home?" the tom growled.

"It wasn't my fault!" Pepperfeet insisted and her ears drew back. "How was I supposed to know that he was stalking me?"

"Perhaps you should've been more careful," the tom hissed and turned his attention back towards Spiritwalker. "What is it that you want? Prey? Our protection against the others?"

"Wha-no! I do not want that!" Spiritwalker insisted. "I was sent here to talk to you!"

The silver-black tom gave him a confused look and with a wave of his tail, the other cats backed away from him.

"What do you mean by that?" the black tom asked.

"As I said before, my name is Spiritwalker," he began, now feeling more relaxed. "Have you ever heard of StarClan?"

A black and white tom sniffed. "You mean those dead cats in the sky the others worship? Yeah, we've heard of them. It's a bunch of hogwash."

"Yeah, cats who watch over you even after they die?" another black tom sneered. "Don't you know that all cats go to The End?"

"What's The End?" Spiritwalker asked.

"They say all cats go to The End," a golden tabby tom replied. "It's the place where all cats go when they die. Not much is known besides that."

"Well…I was sent by StarClan to revive the five Clans that used to live in these territories," Spiritwalker explained.

"The five Clans?" a pale gray she-cat wondered out loud. "Can't say I ever heard of them."

"I've heard of them before," the silver-black tom responded. "I thought those were kit stories."

"Nope. They were real. My job is to talk the cats into becoming Clan cats once again," Spiritwalker meowed.

"Why?" a golden-brown and black tom asked.

"Because if I don't, then StarClan, including myself, will disappear," Spiritwalker meowed.

"So you're doing it for yourself?" the same tom asked.

"No!" Spiritwalker growled. "I'm doing it for StarClan and all of the cats that live here!"

"What's so great about living in a Clan?" a ginger tabby tom sneered.

"Where do I even start?" Spiritwalker mused. "Living in a Clan is all about loyalty and justice. Cats care for their young and old, and each other. There is a Clan leader who leads the Clan and is responsible for every cat. There's the deputy, who guides the Clan leader and the medicine cat, who heals the injured. Then there are the warriors, who protect and feed the Clan. Every cat dreams of becoming the best leader any cat has ever seen and maybe even leader one day! Apprentices are trained by the warriors to become warriors one day. Queens and the kits are cared for by every member of the Clan, and so are the elders, who are the retired cats.

"In a Clan, you survive together and work together to survive the harsh leaf-bares and skirmishes you may have with other Clans. You strive to do the will of StarClan and follow the warrior code with your heart."

"What's the warrior code?" a small, black and white tom squeaked.

"Hush, little one!" his mother, a brown tabby, meowed.

"That sounds like fun!" the ginger tabby tom happily chirped.

"We're almost like a Clan…in a way," the brown and black tom pointed out.

"Can you help us to become more like a Clan?" a ginger tabby and white she-cat asked.

"That's what I'm here for!" Spiritwalker purred.

"Can we become a Clan, Jetstream and Lightningstrike?" a ginger tabby tom asked.

The two toms exchanged worried looks.

"It's possible that all of you are descendants of warriors," Spiritwalker added.

The silver-black tom spoke first. "Lightningstrike and I will have to discuss this further in private before we can agree on anything," the tom meowed and looked at Spiritwalker. "For now, our guest can stay with us."

"Jetstream's right," the other tom meowed. "We'll let you know as soon as we come to a decision."

"Pepperfeet," Jetstream meowed. "Show Spiritwalker around the area, would you?"

"Sure thing," the she-cat mumbled and padded towards the StarClan cat. "It's not like I have anything else to do." The cats around them began to disperse and go back to what they were originally doing. "Well, those two toms are our _gracious_ leaders." She rolled her eyes as she pointed to Jetstream and Lightningstrike who went back to their position near a boulder. "Those two lead the group as a team and are brothers."

"Interesting," Spiritwalker noted. Jetstream and Lightningstrike acted like a Clan leader and their deputy.

"Over here is where the queens and kits rest," Pepperfeet meowed and pointed to a bush. A small, pale brown tabby she-cat rested with her two kits, one a light brown she-kit and the other a black and white tom.

"That's Strudel and her kits, Crumbs and Toast," Pepperfeet introduced. "And Maple is the ginger and white she-cat and her kit is Honey."

Maple sat next to Strudel with a tiny cream-colored with a black stripe down her back she-kit on her back, watching the older kits wrestle about.

"Those two mouse-brains are Piper and Peaches," the she-cat went on and pointed to a golden tabby tom and a ginger tabby tom wrestling over a squirrel not far. Piper dodged to the side and grabbed the squirrel from behind Peaches. Peaches growled and tackled him from behind.

"My brother is over there next to Junior," Pepperfeet meowed and motioned towards a golden-brown and black tom next to a black and white tuxedo tom. "His name is Bumblebee and he can be a real pain in the tail."

"Who are your parents?" Spiritwalker asked.

"Jetstream's our father and our mother died when we were kits," Pepperfeet explained bluntly.

"Oh…I'm sorry for your lose," Spiritwalker somberly replied. Pepperfeet merely shrugged.

"It happened a long time ago," she explained and went on with her introductions. "Petaldrop is sunning over there and Hoot is over there," she meowed and pointed to a pale gray she-cat and a black tom.

"Why is it that some of the cats here have warrior names?" Spiritwalker asked.

Pepperfeet shrugged. "I think I remember my father telling me that we were descendants of power cats and some ancestor of mine didn't want us to forget who were once were. Think those cats could be warriors?"

"Most likely," Spiritwalker meowed. "Perhaps you came from FrostClan."

Pepperfeet tilted her head. "What's a FrostClan?"

"FrostClan's a Clan who once lived in the dark pines," Spiritwalker explained and motioned towards where they first met. "It's the Clan I originally lived in. They were known for their thick pelts, because it always snowed the hardest there, and for their brilliant sense of smell."

"If we were to become a Clan, do you think we would become FrostClan?" Pepperfeet asked.

Spiritwalker scrutinized the clearing full of cats. "Mostly likely. You don't have to have those characteristics to be part of FrostClan."

"Spiritwalker!" Toast squeaked and bounced up to him. "That's your name, right?"

"That is correct." Spiritwalker smiled and gazed at the kit.

"That's a funny name, but Mother says that you were once a dead cat!" Toast meowed.

"Don't be rude, Toast!" his younger sister, Crumbs, chided and bounded up to them.

"But is it true? Are you like…a zombie cat?" Toast asked.

"Of course not," Spiritwalker replied. "I used to live a long time ago, but StarClan brought me back to life."

"So…you are a zombie cat?" Toast reiterated.

"Do I look like one?"

Toast looked at Spiritwalker up and down. "No…"

"Then there is your answer," Spiritwalker surmised.

"Pft. Don't put stories into their heads, Spiritwalker," Pepperfeet meowed.

"If you're going to be part of a Clan, then you'll have to believe in StarClan," Spiritwalker meowed as Toast and Crumbs bounced back to their mother to tell her that he's not a zombie. "By the way…when is the next full moon?"

Pepperfeet thought for a moment. "I think in a quarter-moon. Why?"

"A quarter-moon?! That's not enough time!" Spiritwalker panicked.

"Why? What's wrong?" Pepperfeet asked.

"I was told by StarClan to bring the future leaders of the five Clans to the Gathering Place near Large Claws by the next full moon!" Spiritwalker explained.

"Gathering Place?" Pepperfeet echoed.

"The place with the large boulders that look like claws," Spiritwalker quickly explained.

"Oh, that place," Pepperfeet meowed.

"What's all the commotion over here?" Jetstream asked with his brother by his side.

"Jetstream and Lightningstrike, I need to go to the other groups and bring them to the Large Claws by the next full moon!" Spiritwalker explained. "It was what StarClan told me to do."

"Well if StarClan told you to do it, then do it you must," Jetstream meowed. "We'll be there by the next full moon…but you need an escort to the other groups; some of them can get really hostile towards strangers…" His gaze went to his daughter's frighten one. "Pepperfeet, you will escort Spiritwalker to the other cats that live in the area."

"Aww, why me?" Pepperfeet complained. "Why not some other cat."

"You already know him well, Pepperfeet," Lightningstrike meowed. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be done."

Pepperfeet sighed. "Oh, alright!" She glared at Spiritwalker. "Let's get a move on!"

As Pepperfeet padded forward, Spiritwalker glanced at the two leaders. "Thanks for believing in me."

"If StarClan has truly returned, then we must listen to their messenger," Jetstream explained as Lightningstrike nodded.

Spiritwalker waved his tail in gratitude before disappearing after the crabby black and white speckled she-cat.

And so began their adventure.


	6. Chapter 4

**Enter GaleClan! **

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter**

**Cats belong to me**

* * *

"So…where are we going again?" Spiritwalker asked. He and his companion, Pepperfeet, had been traveling through the old FrostClan territory for nearly half an hour.

Next to him, Pepperfeet let out a sigh. "We're going to a group of cats that live in a meadow. They apparently call themselves 'GaleClan'."

"GaleClan's still alive?" Spiritwalker excitedly gasped.

Pepperfeet gave him an odd look. "You know them?"

Spiritwalker nodded. "They were one of the original Clans! Thank StarClan that they are still around!"

Pepperfeet rolled her bright green eyes. "I still don't get 'StarClan'."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's almost like a predestination type deal-thing," Pepperfeet explained. "Do all cats go to StarClan?"

"Well…" Spiritwalker paused. "Not all cats."

"Well…how does one know they are going to StarClan?" Pepperfeet asked.

"Uhh…" For once, Spiritwalker was at loss for words. "I suppose if you follow the warrior code and don't do anything bad…you can go to StarClan…? But it's more complicated than that."

"You still don't make any sense," Pepperfeet shrugged. "For us, it doesn't matter what we do in life, because we all end in The End."

"But do any of you know what it's like there?" Spiritwalker demanded and didn't give Pepperfeet any time to reply. "I've been in StarClan and I know what it's like. It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen. There's no hunger and no conflicts, except with the cats that didn't make it to StarClan. You are reunited with old friends and relatives, some you haven't seen in moons! You continue to live in StarClan in harmony, watching over your descendants and guiding the living."

Pepperfeet didn't reply, but she seemed to be in deep thought. Her ears pricked up when they came to the edge of the evergreens and the landscape turned into fields and welcomed the sky.

"This is the place…or so they say," Pepperfeet explained, not commenting on Spiritwalker's earlier thought.

"What do you mean by that?"

"They use something they call a 'border' do mark out their territory," Pepperfeet meowed and motioned towards the strong cat smell that lined the edge of the field. "It's supposed to keep out the other cats, but it's just a scent."

"Yeah, but the scent of _many_ cats," Spiritwalker meowed as he scented the border. It smelled faintly familiar of GaleClan. He detected many cats in the scent and glanced up at the sky; it was nearly sun-high and a patrol was soon to appear.

"Why are we waiting around here?" Pepperfeet annoyingly asked, noticing that her companion hadn't said anything about moving on.

"We're respecting the border and waiting for a patrol to arrive. They should soon to remark the border," Spiritwalker explained.

"Wait, you're respecting the border?" Pepperfeet growled. "Geez, it's just a scent! Why can't we just walk over it?"

"It seems that these cats still follow the warrior code, which is a great thing to see, so we shall follow it was well and respect their border," Spiritwalker explained in further detail. "It says in the warrior code that a cat should not cross the border."

"What's this 'warrior code' you keep talking about?"

"I'll explain later." Faint mewing could be heard not far and Spiritwalker gazed over the territory. "Besides, here comes a patrol."

A dark blue-gray she-cat was in the lead, with a pale gray tom with lighter patches, a white she-cat, and a smaller dark brown tabby tom with lighter paws behind her. The four cats cautiously approached the border.

"What are you doing here, rogues?" the young tabby tom threatened and bore his teeth.

Spiritwalker felt Pepperfeet's fur rise and he raised his tail for her to calm down. "Greetings, fellow Clanmates. My name is Spiritwalker and this is my _companion_, Pepperfeet." He glared at her to keep her fur flat and turned back towards the Clan cats. They looked surprise to hear a cat who knew they were called a Clan. "May I speak to your leader or deputy?"

"The Clan deputy's _right in front of you_, and why do you want to speak to our leader?" the blue-gray she-cat growled.

"I have a message from StarClan," Spiritwalker simply stated.

The Clan cats all gasped and stared at the tom with wide eyes.

"Did you say…StarClan…?" the pale gray tom quietly asked.

"I did," Spiritwalker replied.

The deputy shook her head. "Well, then, please come with us! I'm sure Stormstar will be glad to see you!" She let out a small smile. "My name is Juniperberry, and these are my Clanmates, Stonedust, Frostdawn, and Falconpaw."

"Greetings!" Stonedust purred.

"Glad to meet you!" Frostdawn happily greeted.

"Welcome!" Falconpaw meowed.

"Thanks," Spiritwalker meowed as they followed Juniperberry and her patrol back towards their camp. Spiritwalker never personally visited the GaleClan camp or their territory, so this trip was a new experience for him. The GaleClan territory was mostly made of tall grasses, with a few scarce bushes and boulders here and there. Spiritwalker knew they were approaching the camp by the scent of many cats, _Clan_ cats.

The camp was mostly made of dens made of cracks in boulders or small bushes. A dark blue-gray tabby tom sat near a cracked boulder next to a white tom and a white gray and tabby she-cat. Four kits laughed and played around the camp as a small gray tabby tom playfully chased them. A long-haired black she-cat gently groomed a black tom. A white and speckled gray tom shared a rabbit with a light ginger she-cat. A brown tom with a red belly playfully swatted a sand-colored queen's ear. A pale gray she-cat and a silver tabby tom padded into camp with rabbits in their jaws. Several older looking cats rested near some flat rocks.

_This is what a Clan should look like!_

When the patrol entered the camp, the dark blue-gray tabby tom raised his ears and motioned for the patrol to come with his tail. Juniperberry led the patrol and dismissed with her tail for her warriors to leave. The three cats sat in front of the three other cats near the cracked boulder.

"Stormstar," Juniperberry greeted and dipped her head in respect. "My patrol and I found these two by the border and they asked to speak with you."

The dark blue-gray tabby tom nodded and his gazed rested on Spiritwalker and Pepperfeet.

"Greetings, Stormstar," Spiritwalker meowed and dipped his head. "My name is Spiritwalker and his is my friend, Pepperfeet." He motioned for the she-cat to dip her head. She rolled her eyes and did so anyway. "I have come from StarClan and I bring news of our ancestors."

Stormstar's blue eyes lit up. "StarClan? They still watch us?"

"Indeed," Spiritwalker replied. "Though, they are not pleased at what they see."

Stormstar's expression dropped. "Do you mean the other Clans?"

"StarClan is sad that some of the Clans have lost their way and dispersed," Spiritwalker meowed. "They sent me to try to revive the Clans so StarClan can communicate with them. Tell me, what is going on with your Clan?"

"GaleClan has always felt that they caused the StarClan to abandon us," Stormstar explained, "since it was Finchstar who started the argument that drove us away from StarClan. Ever since then, we have tried to please StarClan, but we heard nothing from our warrior ancestors. Still, we try to teach our young the ways of the warrior code."

"As an ambassador from StarClan, I can tell you that I am already impressed," Spiritwalker noted as he saw Falconpaw bring over a rabbit to a hungry queen. He gazed over towards the cats next to Stormstar. "Are these your medicine cats?"

"Yes," Stormstar meowed and turned to look at the cats. He nodded towards the white tom and the gray and white tabby she-cat. "They are Frozenwhisker and Softwing."

"Is one of you an apprentice?" Spiritwalker inquired, but noted that the two looked around the same age.

It was Softwing who spoke up. "I am originally from MapleClan," she explained quietly.

"Why did you leave your Clan?" Spiritwalker asked.

"She didn't leave! She was forced to leave!" Frozenwhisker spoke up. "Thistlestar said that there wasn't any room in the Clan more medicine cats and if a cat got injured, then it was their own fault!"

"What's going on with MapleClan?" Spiritwalker asked.

"They terrorize the cats, along with the rogues," Stormstar growled. "They claim to be a Clan, but Thistlestar is only interested in more territory and winning battles. I can't tell you how many times I had to give up territory just to avoid my warriors from getting injured. They already send their elders to survive on their own and we decided to take them and Softwing in, though it does mean more mouths to feed…"

"But all of them are highly respected among the cats," Juniperberry added.

"That's great to hear!" Spiritwalker added. "The…taking in the cats, part."

"That's not all MapleClan did," Frozenwhisker growled. "They stole their kits!"

"What?!" It was Pepperfeet's turn to gasp.

Stormstar and Juniperberry stared at the ground. "It's true," Stormstar meowed. "They stole our kits when they were only 2 moons old."

"Bluekit, Dawnkit, and Echokit," Juniperberry softly added.

"It was all my fault," Stormstar insisted. "I should've placed a cat to guard the camp for the night, but we were short on warriors as it is…"

Before any cat could go on any further, Spiritwalker rested his tail on Stormstar's.

"I'm sorry for your lose," Spiritwalker meowed.

"Thank you, Spiritwalker," Stormstar breathed and stood straighter. "What's your story?"

"Well…there's not much to tell," Spiritwalker confessed. "I was born and raised in FrostClan, but I died at a young age. StarClan gave me a second chance to prove myself so they sent me on this mission."

"FrostClan was one of original Clans, right?" Softwing asked.

"Correct," Spiritwalker replied.

"What about you, Pepperfeet?" Juniperberry asked. "Are you a StarClan cat as well?"

"Who, me?" Pepperfeet asked. "No, I live with a bunch of other cats on the far side of the evergreens."

Juniperberry and Stormstar nodded, though you could tell they weren't impressed.

"Anyways," Spiritwalker intervened so nothing got too awkward. "Stormstar is it possible for you and Juniperberry to meet me and some other cats near the Large Claws for the full moon?"

"Why?" Stormstar inquired.

"StarClan told me to gather the leaders of the cats for the full moon and they'll do the rest," Spiritwalker replied. "Perhaps they'll make the new Clans and allow them to communicate with you."

"Sounds like a plan," Stormstar agreed. "Where are you off to next?"

"Perhaps one of the other groups," Spiritwalker replied. "Any suggestions?"

"Why not SalmonClan? They live on the other side of the Large Claws?" Juniperberry suggested. "They have a fairly similar lifestyle like us. They're also allies with us."

"Thanks," Spiritwalker thanked.

"It's getting dark, though, and you won't make it by sunset," Stormstar noticed and looked towards the setting sun. "Why don't you have some prey and stay in the warriors' den for the night?"

"Oh, I don't think—"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Spiritwalker interrupted the glaring Pepperfeet before she could decline. "Thanks for the offer."

"Why did you agree?" Pepperfeet snarled once the Clan cats left for their respective duties.

"Look, they're offering shelter and food. What more can you want from that?" Spiritwalker whispered back.

"What about the fact that we barely know these cats?" Pepperfeet hissed. "We just met them today and now you trust them?"

"If these cats believe in StarClan and the warrior code, then I trust them," Spiritwalker sternly meowed. "This is what Clans do. Besides, now it'll give you a taste of Clan life!"

Pepperfeet rolled her eyes. "Oh, alright!"

Spiritwalker gave her a grateful glance and he led her towards the fresh-kill pile. His stomach let out a rumble and he had forgotten how hungry he was.

_That's right…I have to eat now that I'm alive._

"The warriors and apprentices are in charge of feeding the Clan," Spiritwalker explained and motioned towards the pile of rabbits. "Every cat is allowed to have a piece, even if they didn't catch anything that day."

"Back home, every cat hunts for themselves," Pepperfeet explained. "The queens and kits are normally provided by their mates, or if another cat has caught some extra prey for them."

Spiritwalker nodded thoughtfully and grabbed a rabbit from the top of the pile and placed it down not far. "Care to share?" he asked. "It's one big rabbit."

Pepperfeet thought for a moment and then slowly nodded and sat down next to him.

Not far, a white and gray speckled tom finished sharing prey with a light ginger tabby queen. Two kits, one a white she-kit and the other a speckled white & ginger she-kit, raced around their parents.

"Cloudkit, Specklekit, come here please," their mother gently asked. "You're going to try rabbit today."

"But we don't like rabbit, Littlefeather!" the white she-kit whined as her sister clambered on their father's back.

"Now, Cloudkit, it's really tasty! You'll love it," their mother purred.

"That means you too, Specklekit," their father purred and gently shook his daughter off his fur.

The tiny she-kit shook her pelt free of dust and padded next to her sister. She gave the half-eaten rabbit a sniff.

"It doesn't look very good," Specklekit commented. "But it smells delicious!"

"Take a bite, dear," Littlefeather pushed.

Specklekit glanced up at her mother before reaching over and taking a small bite of the soft flesh. She chewed for a moment.

"It's chewy," Specklekit meowed while chewing.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," their father, Diamondsky, commented. Specklekit nodded and finally swallowed.

"Cloudkit, it tastes awesome! You gotta try it!" Specklekit chirped and bounced up a down.

Cloudkit grumbled and grouchily padded towards her sister. "Fine, fine, I'll try it." She took a tiny bite of the dead rabbit and chewed thoughtfully. "It taste's strange…but I prefer milk."

"Could I have more?" Specklekit politely asked and her parents nodded. "Yippee!" Specklekit squeaked and took another bite of the rabbit.

"Those kits are cute," Pepperfeet purred as Spiritwalker took the last bite of rabbit.

"Aren't all kits?" Spiritwalker surmised as he scrapped over the remains of the prey. He thought for a moment. "Do you ever want kits?"

Pepperfeet seemed surprised at his question and thought for a heartbeat. "I suppose one day, when the time is right. I think that every cat dreams of having a family of their own." She looked at Spiritwalker. "What about you?" Spiritwalker gave her a look, as if that was a stupid question. "Okay, I know that you're 'dead', but what about when you were still alive?"

Spiritwalker snorted and then thought for a moment. "I suppose a family would be nice," he commented.

Pepperfeet nodded and, after a few heartbeats, spoke again. "What do you think will happen to you after you complete your quest?"

Spiritwalker blinked. He hadn't thought of that before. "I…I don't know. I suppose I'll go back to StarClan. I mean…it's where I belong. I don't belong in the living world."

Pepperfeet shrugged and glanced away. She looked at the darkening sky and noticed that the majority of the cats were heading to their dens. "Shall we get some sleep?"

Spiritwalker nodded. "Yes, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He got up and stretched. He noticed that the majority of the warriors had their own private dens. He soon spotted an empty one on the far side of camp between the tall grasses. He motioned with his ears for Pepperfeet to follow him and before they could reach the den, a small gray tabby tom popped out.

"Oh, hello visitors!" the small tom meowed. "My name's Wildpaw and Stormstar asked me to prepare a den for you two and I just placed some moss inside for nests."

"Thanks," Spiritwalker meowed as the apprentice happily padded away. He and Pepperfeet entered the den and found two piles of moss.

"That was nice of them," Pepperfeet commented.

Spiritwalker simply nodded, exhaustion creeping up on him. He slowly spread the moss out to form a nice, soft nest. Pepperfeet did the same and it wasn't long until they had two nests. Spiritwalker let out a yawn and curled up in his next. He was aware of Pepperfeet settling down beside him.

"Pepperfeet…" Spiritwalker meowed. "Thanks for coming along. It's much better with a friend."

Pepperfeet stifled a purr. "You're welcome."

And with that, the two loners fell asleep with the stars watching over them.


	7. Chapter 5

**Enter SalmonClan! SalmonClan is different from GaleClan, and you shall see why! And two chapters in one day, WHAT.**

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter**

**Cats belong to me**

* * *

"Which way to SalmonClan?" Pepperfeet inquired.

Spiritwalker thought for a moment. "Stormstar said it was on the other side of the Large Claws where there is a river."

Pepperfeet nodded as she followed Spiritwalker. The two companions had left early in the morning to avoid a crowd, and they wanted to leave as soon as possible to reach SalmonClan.

Pepperfeet spotted a rabbit not far, nibbling on a piece of grass. She gently shouldered Spiritwalker. "Hey, should we catch some prey for them?"

Spiritwalker glanced over at the rabbit, which was completely oblivious of the two cats. He shook his head. "They wouldn't appreciate it."

"Well, why not?" Pepperfeet inquired.

"They would probably think of it as a sign of aggression," Spiritwalker explained, as they padded further and further away from the rabbit.

"How is catching prey a sign of aggression?" Pepperfeet asked.

"It's against the warrior code to hunt in another Clan's territory," Spiritwalker explained. The Large Claws entered into view.

Pepperfeet rolled her eyes. "How many laws are there?"

"Sixteen."

"And you have to follow all of them?"

"It is said that if a cat follows the warrior code, then nothing bad shall happen to them."

Pepperfeet glanced at the Large Claws as they passed by them. "That's what happened here, right?" She stopped and stared at the Frail Sheet and the Large Claws.

Spiritwalker stopped and stared after her. "Yes."

"What happened?"

Spiritwalker glanced at her and then sighed. "The five Clan leaders, Talonstar, Vinestar, Finchstar, Deerstar, and Pikestar, fought during a Gathering, which is prohibited by StarClan."

"Do all leaders take the suffix –star?" Pepperfeet interrupted.

"Yes. It signals that they have the guidance and approval of StarClan," Spiritwalker explained. "The Clan leaders fought, both verbally and physically, over the situation of Deerstar expecting Finchstar's kits. It is prohibited in the warrior code and is dishonorable for a cat to be in a relationship with another cat from another Clan. Since both Deerstar and Finchstar were both Clan leaders, this makes is even more dishonorable! Anyway, the Clan leaders fought and the Frail Sheet broke and all the leaders drowned in the water below. Ever since that day, the link between StarClan and the Clans was severed, and that led to the cats today."

"How long ago did that happen?" Pepperfeet asked, her green eyes widen at Spiritwalker's story.

"Several, several seasons ago," Spiritwalker suggested.

"And that's where you come in," Pepperfeet added.

Spiritwalker nodded. "If I don't unite the cats once again, then StarClan will disappear…including me." He padded onward, the Gathering Place giving him a chill. Pepperfeet quickly caught up with him and glanced once more at the Gathering Place.

"What's a Gathering?" Pepperfeet asked.

"It's when all the Clans gather peacefully under the full moon. They discuss issues going on and announce new warriors. Fighting is forbidden during the Gatherings, or else StarClan will get angry," Spiritwalker explained as they neared a river. He froze in his tracks at the sight of the churning water.

Pepperfeet studied the river. "Hmm…it's too deep to try to swim." She glanced around. "How about those rocks over there?" She pointed with her tail to a few rocks a fox-length away. "We can cross over using those!" She bounded towards the rocks with Spiritwalker slowly following her.

Pepperfeet easily pounced to the first rock and then onto the second one. She glanced behind her. "Come on, Spiritwalker! Don't you want to meet SalmonClan?"

Spiritwalker nodded, but his gaze was fixed on the icy water. Summoning all of his strength, Spiritwalker flung himself at the first rock. His quickly gripped the slippery rock with his claws and flinched as mist soaked his belly fur.

Pepperfeet already made it to the final rock. "Hurry up, Spiritwalker!"

Spiritwalker slowly gulped and launched himself at the second rock. His back legs hit the water and he let out a yowl as he struggled to get a grip on the slick rock. He quickly clambered on and let out a sigh.

_I hate the water!_

Spiritwalker shook his head free of horrible memories and leapt on the third rock. He landed perfectly and he shook his damp fur. There were only two more rocks left and Pepperfeet was waiting on the other side. Gathering his courage, Spiritwalker quickly bounded over the final rocks faster than a cat with its tail on fire. Once on dry land, Spiritwalker panted and shook his pelt.

"About time you got over here," Pepperfeet laughed. "What was with you over there?"

Spiritwalker sniffed. "It's…nothing important. Let's go find SalmonClan." With that, the proud tom headed inland, away from the treacherous waters. Luckily for him, Pepperfeet decided not to comment on his behavior and silently padded after him.

Spiritwalker opened his mouth to scent the air. Being a FrostClan cat, his nose was excellent at finding scents. He faintly detected the scents of cats, and some were really close.

"Stop, trespassers!" a dark brown tom appeared from behind the reeds. A dark gray tabby tom, a dark brown mottled she-cat, and a tiny silver tabby tom appeared next to him. All four cats bore their teeth and gave threatening growls to the two newcomers.

"We're not looking for a fight," Spiritwalker calmly meowed as the cats neared them. "We just want to talk."

"You're invading SalmonClan territory," the dark gray tabby tom hissed.

"We are? We didn't scent any scent marks," Spiritwalker informed.

"Every cat knows that this side of the river is our territory!" the dark brown mottled she-cat snarled.

"We're sorry for crossing your border," Spiritwalker meowed formerly. _Though you really should've marked it. _"We just want to speak with your leader."

"Why should we escort you to our camp?" the dark brown tom questioned. "Are you going to inform your rogue friends about the location of our camp?"

"No, we just want to talk to your leader," Spiritwalker meowed again.

The tom seemed to consider his offer before nodding. "Very well, but if you pull any tricks then you're both out!"

"You can trust us," Spiritwalker meowed and let the brown tom lead the way. The other members of his patrol surrounded the two cats. "Keep your fur flat," Spiritwalker whispered to Pepperfeet, who hated the idea of the cats surrounding them.

"Quite talking!" the tiny silver tabby tom snapped.

It wasn't long until they reached a small stream that was about half a fox-length wide. Spiritwalker halted at the foot of the stream and he didn't move until the mottled brown she-cat shoved him forward.

"Move it, rogue!" she spat.

Spiritwalker collapsed in the stream and quickly recovered to his paws and padded forward.

"That wasn't very nice!" Pepperfeet growled in her friend's defense.

"I wasn't asking for your opinion!" the she-cat growled.

Knowing that Spiritwalker would throw a fit if she lashed out, Pepperfeet backed down and padded next to her friend. "Are you alright?"

Spiritwalker nodded. "I'm fine."

They approached an opening in a wall of thick reeds. The brown tom led the way into the bright camp. Dens were made of the reeds and lined the perimeter of the camp. A large pile of logs were straight ahead and a light gray tabby she-cat leapt down the pile towards the patrol. A brown she-cat with white patches met her down there and the two cats waited for the patrol.

"Mintstar," the dark tom greeted and nodded his head. "Puddlesplash, these rogues demanded to see you."

"Thank you, Mudfang," Mintstar meowed as Mudfang and his patrol padded away. The light gray tabby she-cat glared at the rogues. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"My name is Spiritwalker and this is my friend, Pepperfeet," Spiritwalker greeted the leader and deputy. "And I have brought a message from StarClan."

"StarClan?" Puddlesplash inquired. "They still exist?"

"Yes," Mintstar commented and narrowed her green eyes. "I thought they disappeared long ago."

"No, they still exist," Spiritwalker explained. "In fact, I am from StarClan."

"Wait…so, you're like…dead?" Mintstar asked. "You expect me to believe that!"

"StarClan brought me back to life to revive the Clans," Spiritwalker meowed. "Mintstar...tell me about your Clan."

Mintstar raised her head proudly. "SalmonClan is thriving in this season and our patrols keep the MapleClan cats and other rogues out." She glared at them. "Or…they're supposed to. I became leader two seasons ago and have appointed Puddlesplash as my deputy." She nodded towards the she-cat next to her. "We challenge all cats that trespass into our territory with tooth and claw, and show little mercy."

"Why's that?" Spiritwalker inquired.

"If we don't take out the source of the prey stealing, then how will it be stopped?" Mintstar suggested. "MapleClan's never been keen on sharing prey."

"Where is MapleClan?" Spiritwalker asked.

Mintstar nodded back towards the river. "On the other side of the river and the large rocks. They share borders with GaleClan."

Spiritwalker nodded. "What about leadership? Does Puddlesplash take over once you die?"

Mintstar shook her head. "No way! Puddlesplash is an adviser and before I die, I announce the next leader."

"What happens when you die before a new leader is chosen?"

"Simple. The cats fight for it. That's how I won my leadership," Mintstar boasted. "Even got a few battle scars from it." She flexed her claws.

Spiritwalker flicked his ears, not happy with her answer, and decided to get right to the point. "Mintstar…is it possible for you and Puddlesplash to meet me and the other leaders at the large rocks?"

"Why is that?"

"StarClan just wants all of the leaders to meet and then something will happen," Spiritwalker explained.

"It could be a trap," Puddlesplash warned.

"And miss the chance to potentially claw off Thistlestar's ears? We're coming," Mintstar meowed.

"There won't be any fighting, though," Spiritwalker meowed.

"Then afterwards."

Spiritwalker sensed that this couldn't go his way and simply nodded. "That is all, Mintstar. We shall be leaving now."

Mintstar nodded and Spiritwalker and Pepperfeet made their way out of their camp.

"Well…what did you think of them?" Pepperfeet asked once they were out of their camp.

"It's horrible!" Spiritwalker growled. "They aren't following the warrior code…well; they are but not all of it!"

Pepperfeet sniffed. "I found them very rude."

Spiritwalker nodded in agreement. "I mean, they aren't following the traditional rules about appointing a leader and a deputy, and I can guarantee you that apprentice back there was less than 6 moons old! He looked like a 4 moon old kit!"

"You really care about the warrior code, don't you?" Pepperfeet inquired.

"I do," Spiritwalker meowed. "Let's just hope the other cats aren't as bad as SalmonClan."


	8. Chapter 6

**Here's this long-awaited chapter! Sorry for the wait; had homework! ^^;**

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter**

**Cats belongs to me.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The sun was slowly beginning to climb downward by the time Spiritwalker and Pepperfeet arrived on the other side of the river. Spiritwalker was annoyingly aware of the sounds of rustling bushes and a flash of brown fur that followed then until they reached the river; Mintstar must've sent a scout to make sure they actually left her precious territory.

_The cats around here are all too wary of each other,_ Spiritwalker thought.

"Do you think we should keep going while there's still daylight?" Pepperfeet asked as she paused besides the river.

Spiritwalker glanced first at the slowly setting sun and then at Pepperfeet. "No…it'll be dark by the time we get to MapleClan."

"Guess we're saving the best for last," Pepperfeet sarcastically muttered under her breath. "So what should we do now?" she meowed louder.

"Let's head back to your camp to report to Jetstream and Lightningstrike," Spiritwalker ordered. "We can spend the night there and then make our way towards MapleClan in the morning."

Pepperfeet nodded. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed.

The two resumed their walking as they entered the evergreen forest. "What's it like?" she suddenly asked.

"What's what like?" Spiritwalker asked.

She avoided his gaze. "Being alive again."

Spiritwalker let out an _mrrow_ of amusement. "Wait, you're saying that you believe me?"

"No!" Pepperfeet snapped as Spiritwalker laughed. "I've just…been thinking about it lately. Besides…I'm saying _hypothetically_."

The cream-colored tabby tom let out a snort. "_'Hypothetically'_? Hah…well…" He gazed up at the pine trees above them. "It feels…strange. In StarClan, there is no illness, or hunger; now I have to worry about those things all the time."

"So…you '_hypothetically_' didn't have to hunt for…seasons?" Pepperfeet asked.

"Yeah," Spiritwalker purred. "That's why I didn't know you were hunting when we first met!"

Pepperfeet purred and gently shoulder Spiritwalker. "You frost-brain," she gently teased.

"Hey! That insult has been around since my day!" Spiritwalker joked.

"I didn't know you were _that_ old!" Pepperfeet shot back.

The two gently purred in amusement. Their moment was ruined by the sounds of howls and screeches.

Pepperfeet's ears perked up at a particular yowl. "That sounds like Bumblebee!" She took off running in the direction of the camp.

"Pepperfeet, wait!" Spiritwalker called after her and immediately dashed after his friend. Spiritwalker leapt over boulders and skirted around trees to keep the running black and white pelt in sight. Soon, Pepperfeet disappeared through the ferns and Spiritwalker barged in after her. Spiritwalker landed with an _oomph_ as he smacked into another cat.

"S-Sorry!" Spiritwalker squawked, until he realized that he didn't recognize the brown tom who was scrambling to his paws.

"Watch it, rogue!" the tom hissed before dashing away.

It suddenly came to Spiritwalker that there were a _bunch_ of cats he didn't recognize in the camp, and there was _blood on the ground…_

Jetstream and Lightningblaze were dueling with another dark brown tom and a fuzzy ginger tom. Jetstream ducked and nipped the ginger tom's legs while his brother swiped at the brown tom.

Junior was locked claw-to-claw in a battle with a black tom. The black tom raked his hind legs on Junior's exposed belly and his claws drew away with clots of white fur and blood. Junior yowled and quickly tackled the other rogue and they landed in a skirmish on the bloody ground.

Petaldrop quickly ducked as a cream and brown she-cat launched herself at the loner. The rogue quickly rolled on the ground and launched herself once more at Petaldrop. The gray she-cat dodged once again and raked her claws alongside the rogue.

Piper and Peaches were tag-teaming against a mottled brown and white she-cat and a black and white tom. Piper expertly ducked as the black and white tom lashed out his claws over his head. Piper then dug his claws into the rogue's uncovered belly fur as Peaches, yowling, leapt on the rogue's back. The mottled she-cat grabbed Peaches's scruff and yanked back hard, dragging the young tom from her comrade's scarred back.

Bumblebee heard his denmate's yowl and hurried to help when a brown and white she-cat intercepted him and the two tussled on the dusty ground.

Meanwhile, Strudel and Maple were up against a bush with their kits behind them; a dark gray she-cat and a dark brown tabby tom were closing in on them. The kits' mewls were louder than the queens' hisses and threats. Pepperfeet suddenly launched herself on the dark gray she-cat's back with a caterwaul.

"Spiritwalker, help!" Pepperfeet yowled as she writhed on the rogue's back.

Spiritwalker snapped out of his trance and immediately rushed over to the dark brown tabby rogue and shoved him away from the queens and the kits. The enemy quickly regained his footing and quickly lashed out at his attacker. Spiritwalker sidestepped to the right just as Hoot came barreling in with claws extended at the brown tabby. Trusting that the black tom could handle himself, Spiritwalker rushed over to the queens, who stood protectively over their kits.

"Are the kits alright?" Spiritwalker breathed.

"We're all alright," replied Strudel, her brown tabby fur still fluffed from shock. "The kits are just frightened."

Spiritwalker was about to reply when an angry yowl was heard in the clearing. He noticed that the fighting has stopped and every cat was staring at the three cats in the middle of the mass of cats. The StarClan cat recognized Jetstream and Lightningblaze, but he did not recognize the dark brown tabby tom.

Lightningblaze took a step closer towards the dark brown tabby. All three cats bore claw marks and blood was slowly gushing from their wounds. The black tom bore his teeth into a growl.

"What do you want, Talon?" the co-leader deeply growled.

"Just to give you a warning," the other tom replied, unfazed by the obvious threat. "It won't be long until we take over your territory; this fight was only but a taste."

"That will never happen, Talon," Jetstream snarled and he puffed his silver-black fur. "This territory is ours and we will stop you."

"That may be, rogue," Talon sneered. "But we shall see what happens on the day. As for now, we will be watching you…so you better keep both your ears and eyes peeled." He flicked his tail and he slowly led his cats into the shadows and the last thing they heard was the sound of cackling.

"Who was that?" Spiritwalker whispered to Pepperfeet.

"That's Talon, a nasty rogue that terrorizes the cats, along with MapleClan," Pepperfeet explained. "Surprisingly, they don't bother each other and rather annoy the other cats."

"Sounds like the rogues the Clans were talking about," Spiritwalker surmised.

Pepperfeet nodded. "Talon is their leader and is a ruthless killer and he and my father have a history."

"What kind of history?" Spiritwalker asked.

Pepperfeet shrugged nonchalantly, as if she didn't know. Spiritwalker knew something was up, but recounting how stubborn his friend was, didn't push.

"Some cat help!" a cry was heard from where the queens were. Strudel was yowling as she circled a black and white body. The cat lay unmoving and blood was pooling into the dirt.

_Junior!_

The cats quickly gathered around the pair and shock filled their eyes.

"Well don't just stand there!" Strudel snapped. "Some cat do something!"

"But what?" Bumblebee asked. "Do we look like medics or something?"

"Let me take a look," Spiritwalker offered and shoved his way through the crowd. He quickly scrutinized Junior's wounds; the black and white tom was on lying on his flank and his chest was rising and falling softly. Blood was pouring from the long wound on his white belly and staining Spiritwalker's paws.

"Peaches, Piper," Spiritwalker meowed to the cats who were the least injured. The two toms snapped into attention when the tom called their names. "I need you to find me some plants. Peaches," he turned towards the young ginger tabby tom, "find me a plant that is green and tall—"

"You mean…like every plant?" Peaches joked, but Spiritwalker roughly growled.

"I'm serious! This cat could die if you don't do as I say!" Spiritwalker hissed.

Peaches winced and quickly nodded.

"Bring me a plant that is tall, and has a bristly stem. It grows in tall stalks and its leaves are fine and bristly. It looks almost like a fox's tail," Spiritwalker explained, hoping the young tom would recognize the plant. "It's called horsetail, but I'm not sure what you call it."

"It sounds familiar," Peaches replied. "I think I know where I can find some near the river!"

"Fetch me some," Spiritwalker briskly ordered and turned his attention towards Piper as Peaches dashed off. "Bring me a plant is tall with bright, small and yellow flowers. The flowers are centered near the top and grow in small clumps. They are called goldenrod and are found near the fields."

"I know where those are!" Piper yipped and ran off.

"Hoot," Spiritwalker meowed to the anxious tom. The tom snapped out of his trance at his dying brother and gazed at Spiritwalker. "Find me cobwebs. Lots and lots of cobwebs. Quickly."

Hoot nodded determinately and took off in another direction.

"Bumblebee," Spiritwalker meowed. "Bring me some marigold. They are a small, low-growing flower with a small center. They are yellow and grow in small patches. Don't confuse them with dandelion."

"Right away," Bumblebee meowed and quickly sped away.

"What about me, Spiritwalker?" Pepperfeet asked.

Spiritwalker glanced at Strudel, who was clearly freaking out. "Fetch me some thyme, if you will. They are small plants that grow in sunny locations. The leaves are small and smooth and often thick and stick. It smells tangy and would most likely grow in the open."

"I know where those are! Be back in a sec!" Pepperfeet smirked and dashed off.

By now, Peaches had returned with a few stalks of bushy plants in his jaws. He placed them down by Spiritwalker. "Uhh…is this is?"

Spiritwalker sniffed the stalks. "Yup and thanks!" He gently took a stalk in his jaws and chewed if up.

"Eww, he's chewing plants!" Toast shrieked.

Spiritwalker ignored the murmurs around him and gently spat out the poultice on Junior's wound.

Piper had returned with his goldenrod. "Here you go, Spiritwalker!"

"Thanks, Piper," he meowed and took the goldenrod in his jaws and chewed it up as well. Once it was fine and mushy, he spat it out next to the horsetail and gently rubbed it over the wound.

Bumblebee's marigold was in the pile when Spiritwalker went to fetch more goldenrod. Once again, he grabbed some marigold petals and placed it on the wound.

Hoot had returned, covered in cobwebs all over his black fur. "Is this enough, Spiritwalker?"

"That's plenty, Hoot, thanks!" Spiritwalker graciously thanked and expertly took a cobweb off the tom's flank and placed it on the wound. He repeated the process until the bleeding has stopped. "He should be fine, but we can't risk moving him until the wound is sealed. He'll have to sleep here tonight."

"Will do, Spiritwalker," Jetstream replied. "That was some fancy work with the herbs. How did you know they would work?"

"Back in FrostClan, every apprentice had to know the basic herbs in case something bad happened," Spiritwalker explained. "I'm grateful that I still remember them!"

"That was amazing, Spiritwalker!" Pepperfeet purred, the thyme resting at her paws.

"Thanks," Spiritwalker purred. "And you found thyme! That's great!"

Pepperfeet gave her chest a few licks. "It wasn't too hard to fine the plant you were asking for."

Spiritwalker flicked his ear and grabbed a few of the leaves and placed them in front of Strudel. "Eat these, Strudel. They'll calm your shock."

Strudel gave him a wary look, but she ate the herbs anyway.

"Eww, Mother, you ate plants!" Toast complained.

"Does that mean she'll become a plant?" Crumbs asked.

"Not at all," Spiritwalker explained. "They'll help her. On another note, why don't you find the softest feathers and moss for your father to sleep on? I bet he'll appreciate that!"

"Yeah! I'll find the softest feathers in the forest!" Toast squealed and dashed off.

"No, I will!" Crumbs growled and chased after her brother.

Spiritwalker let out an _mrrow_ of amusement. "Only StarClan will know if they actually do find any feathers."

Pepperfeet purred.

"We're lucky to have Spiritwalker with us," Lightningblaze meowed for all to hear. "We thank you."

"It's no problem," Spiritwalker meowed. "I couldn't let him die."

"Say, Spiritwalker," Bumblebee began. "Can you fix the wound on my shoulder, please?" He turned to show the fresh wound on his right shoulder.

"What about my scratches?" Petaldrop asked.

"And mine?" Hoot asked.

It wasn't long until every cat was asking for Spiritwalker to heal their wounds.

"Of course," Spiritwalker hesitatingly replied. "Let's get started…"

* * *

The sun had set when Spiritwalker finished placing cobwebs on Jetstream's flank. "Now, don't move around too much or the wound will open," he instructed.

"Of course," Jetstream replied. "Spiritwalker…thank you for being here. Junior would've died if you hadn't healed him."

"Like I said, no problem," Spiritwalker insisted and glanced at the black and white tom not far. His kits actually found some soft feathers and moss and they were placed around him. He assumed that Junior would make a full recovery by tomorrow. Strudel was resting next to her mate with her two kits next to her. The queen had calmed down after she ate the herbs and was now resting peacefully.

"Is learning about herbs something in a Clan?" Jetstream asked.

"Yes, every Clan has something called a medicine cat, who is responsible for learning medicine and treats every cat when they get injured," Spiritwalker explained. "They also interpret omens for the Clan from StarClan and often talk to the Clan leader. If you become a Clan, then one of your would become a medicine cat."

Jetstream nodded thoughtfully. "Well, thanks again for the treatment, Spiritwalker. Rest peacefully."

"Anytime, Jetstream," Spiritwalker responded as the silver-black leader disappeared into his den among the ferns.

"Hey, nice job out there," Pepperfeet meowed from behind Spiritwalker.

The StarClan cat nearly jumped and twirled around. "Pepperfeet! You nearly scared me out of my fur!"

"_Nearly_? More like so!" Pepperfeet smirked.

"Sure…" Spiritwalker insisted and smoothed down his chest fur.

"So, what's the plan for us tomorrow?" Pepperfeet asked.

"_Us_?" Spiritwalker repeated.

"What's wrong with that? I thought I was your guide," Pepperfeet purred, amused.

"No, no, no, no, no, it's now that," Spiritwalker quickly regained himself. "I just thought you saw how dangerous this could be and didn't want come along."

Pepperfeet sniffed. "Spiritwalker, you and I started this journey together and we'll end it together."

"If you say so," Spiritwalker meowed. "Anyways, tomorrow let's try MapleClan since tensions between us and Talon are still pretty high after today."

"_Pft_. They're _always_ high," Pepperfeet remarked. "But, sounds like a plan. We better get some rest if we plan on starting tomorrow morning." She glanced at the night sky and then back at her friend. "Good-night, Spiritwalker."

"Good-night, Pepperfeet," Spiritwalker replied and he watched the speckled black and white she-cat gracefully disappear into her den. Spiritwalker gazed up at Silverpelt above, wondering if his ancestors were watching him right now. The moon was nearly full and it would be only a few more sunrises before it was completely full. His time was running out.

"I hope I can convince the Clan leaders to meet in the next few sunrises, StarClan, or I will fail every cat up there and those who haven't made the journey upward," Spiritwalker murmured. He scanned the sky, hoping for an answer.

But there was none.

* * *

"Did I mention I hate the river?" Spiritwalker grumbled as they padded past the Large Claws and next to the river. The two companions left earlier that sunrise and were making their way to the notorious MapleClan. Pepperfeet insisted that the fasted way was by following the river past the Large Claws.

"Only a few hundred times," Pepperfeet grumbled from up ahead. Spiritwalker noticed that Pepperfeet was acting different once they past the Large Claws; she was more silent and her green eyes darted everywhere, as if she was expecting an attack at any second.

The open marsh soon faded into the dark oak forest. Shadows arched left and right and Spiritwalker couldn't help but feel like they were being watched.

He was about to mention that fact to Pepperfeet when he was bowled over near the river's edge. A mottled ginger and white tom bore his teeth into a snarl as he pressed his claws into Spiritwalker's throat. The former FrostClan tom opened his mouth to yowl for Pepperfeet, but only a gargling noise erupted from his jaws. The other tom sneered and raised his other paw to attack when Pepperfeet launched herself at the attacker. Spiritwalker gasped repeatedly, gracious to feel his lungs being filled again. Before he could fully recover and help Pepperfeet, another cat tackled into him and Spiritwalker felt the ground beneath him disappear.


	9. Chapter 7

**Another chapter because I felt like it! XD**

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter**

**Cats belong to me**

* * *

_The dark water swirled around the young cream tom. The water soaked through his thick pelt and chilled him to the bone, making it harder for him to wriggle around. He struggled to swim upwards, to the surface above him, but the water dragged him down. He frantically thrashed about, knowing that he had limited air left. He saw the shadows of cats above the ice and heard their mumbled and frightened meows. The young apprentice finally accepted his fate as he let whatever oxygen he had left and drifted downward as water filled his lungs…_

Spiritwalker coughed up water as some cat pressed on his chest. He spewed another cough of water before blinking his eyes. Tall trees arched over his view and two cats were gazing down at him.

_Where…am I? Wasn't I drowning in the river…?_

"Spiritwalker!" a speckled black and white she-cat yowled and smacked him in the face with her paw. "Wake up!"

_Pepperfeet!_ He suddenly remembered where he was. _The journey…the cats…StarClan's mission…_

"I-I'm fine! I'm fine!" Spiritwalker managed to choke out and slowly got to his paws. He blinked the water out of his eyes and got a good look at the other cat. It was Mudfang from SalmonClan and he was busy shaking off the water off of his pelt.

"Thanks for saving him, Mudfang," Pepperfeet sighed.

The dark brown tom sniffed. "If it keeps you rogues out of our river," he growled before plunging back into the river.

"Are you alright?" Pepperfeet asked Spiritwalker with concerned eyes.

"I told you that I'm fine," Spiritwalker snapped.

Pepperfeet paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you want to go back to camp so you can rest?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine. Let's continue onward," Spiritwalker roughly insisted and gave his pelt a vigorous shake. He glanced at the group of three cats who were watching a fox-length away. One was a pale golden tabby she-cat, another was a scarred dark gray tom, and the other who attacked Spiritwalker was a mottled white and ginger tom. Spiritwalker shakily walked up to them. "May we speak to your leader?"

The pale golden tabby she-cat nodded and with a silent wave of her tail, led the patrol onwards. Spiritwalker and Pepperfeet followed behind the she-cat with the other two cats guarding them from the sides. They ventured away from the Large Claws and from the river, much to Spiritwalker's relief. He didn't want the painful memories of his death to haunt him again.

They entered the forest and came to a small clearing. Bushes of all sorts littered the perimeter of the clearing. A large log was draped on another tree, providing cover underneath. Cats exited from their dens beneath the bushes to gaze at the coming cats. A large black tabby tom with spiky fur marched towards the group and let out a growl.

"Who are these cats, Harvestmoon?" the tom snapped.

Harvestmoon flinched and took a step to the side to reveal the cats behind her. "These two asked to see you, Thistlestar," the golden tabby she-cat explained.

Thistlestar turned his gaze towards the other two toms. "Thornnose, Solarstorm? Is she telling the truth?"

"Indeed, Thistlestar," Thornnose replied. "We attacked them just as you taught us to and Solarstorm even pushed this one in the river." He motioned towards Spiritwalker with his gray shoulder.

Thistlestar nodded and let his green gaze rest on Spiritwalker and Pepperfeet. "Who are you?"

"My name is Spiritwalker," Spiritwalker explained. "And this is my friend, Pepperfeet."

Thistlestar turned towards Pepperfeet with his sharp gaze. "You do seem familiar, Pepperfeet was it? Haven't we caught you hunting in our territory before?"

Pepperfeet hissed, her green eyes blazing and her black and white fur rising. Spiritwalker rested his tail on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "We mean no harm, Thistlestar," Spiritwalker began. "We come from a message from StarClan."

Thistlestar sniffed. "What's a StarClan?"

"StarClan are the groups of cats who watch over you and every cat," Spiritwalker explained. "Many seasons ago, five Clans thrived in the forest, and they broke the link between them and StarClan. Ever since then, the cats have forgotten about StarClan and the warrior code."

"I've heard about the five Clans, but I thought they were kit stories," Thistlestar honestly confessed. "I suppose now that there are only three Clans left that it means that we are the strongest out of them all."

"No, that's not what it means! StarClan wants to revive the Clans and bring back the warrior code," Spiritwalker insisted. "Which means that you will have to follow it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Thistlestar growled.

"It means that you must give back the territory you have stolen from GaleClan and the now gone ThornClan," Pepperfeet surprisingly snarled, remembering what Stormstar had told them. "And bring back Bluekit, Dawnkit, and Echokit to their parents."

"We haven't done such a thing," Thistlestar sneered. "You've been listening to that pathetic Stormstar for far too long. He's filled stories into your head."

Pepperfeet was about to retort, but Spiritwalker gave her a harsh glare. "That will come in time, but right now, tell us about your Clan, Thistlestar."

"Why should I?" Thistlestar growled.

"I'm surprised you wouldn't take the chance to brag to us about how better your cats are compared to GaleClan and SalmonClan," Spiritwalker intelligently surmised.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Thistlestar insisted, falling into Spiritwalker's trap. "Very well. I am the leader of my Clan and Batear is my deputy." He pointed with his tail to a small brown and black tom not far. The tom was talking to a one-eyed dark brown tabby tom and the most peculiar thing Spiritwalker noticed about the deputy was that he had very large ears. "Like SalmonClan, our leadership is decided by battles. I managed to overtake our previous leader, Shadedstar, and kill him to win my leadership."

Spiritwalker narrowed his eyes at the horrendous act, but didn't say anything.

"Our apprentices are mentored by their mentors," Thistlestar went on. "They are taught to challenge any trespasser with force and words later. Any cat who is unable to continue their job as a warrior, whether it be by injury or by age, is banished by my word and sent into exile."

"Why is that?" Spiritwalker asked.

"Our Clan needs strong cats, not weak ones. If the cats are too weak to continue to fend for themselves, then they do not deserve to be in the Clan anymore," Thistlestar explained.

"What about the queens who have kits?" Spiritwalker asked.

"We aren't bird-brains!" Thistlestar hissed. "We know that the future of the Clan is through our kits. The queens and kits are cared for by all members of the Clan until they can fend for themselves."

"And if you need more members you steal kits from the other Clans?" Pepperfeet pressed.

Thistlestar glared at her. "If the Clans can't defend themselves properly, then they shouldn't be a Clan at all."

"What about Softwing?" Spiritwalker asked, remembering the medicine cat back at the GaleClan camp. "And the elders?"

"Softwing was our medicine cat before I decided that having a medicine heal our wounds is pointless," Thistlestar explained. "We bear our marks as a sign of pride and strength that we defeated many enemies and still survive. As for the elders, they were too weak to continue serving me so I banished them."

"Thistlestar, I have a proposition for you and Batear," Spiritwalker suggested before Pepperfeet could rip Thistlestar's ears off. "Would you and Batear please meet us and the other leaders on the night of the full moon at the Large Claws?"

"Why would we do that?" Batear growled from behind Thistlestar. The deputy had stopped chatting with the one-eyed warrior and had padded up behind his leader.

"Did I ask you to speak, Batear?" Thistlestar snarled and reared up on his deputy. The small tom quickly shook his head and groveled in front of his leader. "That's what I thought," the spiky leader sniffed before turning back to Spiritwalker. "Why would we do that?" he snapped.

"So that StarClan can come and officially make you a Clan leader," Spiritwalker explained.

Both Thistlestar's and Pepperfeet's ears pricked up.

_Actually, I have no idea what StarClan plans on doing, but they just might make them true leaders by granting them nine lives._

"I'm already an official leader," Thistlestar growled and bore his sharp teeth.

"Of course you are," Spiritwalker soothed. "But StarClan can grant you the full title of a Clan leader. Besides, Stormstar and Mintstar had already agreed."

"Mintstar will be there?" Thistlestar questioned and then smirked. "Then it's settled; we'll be there."

"There will be no fighting allowed," Spiritwalker warned. "And only you two can come."

"Of course," Thistlestar agreed, though Spiritwalker thought otherwise. "Thornnose, Harvestmoon, Solarstorm, please escort them out of our territory."

The three warriors nodded and roughly shoved the two loners out of their camp with Solarstorm in the lead. When they were half-way from the camp, Solarstorm stopped and turned towards his Clanmates. "Thornnose, Harvestmoon, head back to camp. I'll take it from here."

"Why would we do that, Solarstorm?" Thornnose growled.

"I overheard Batear planning you to lead a hunting patrol," Solarstorm shot back. "Or would you rather have Harvestmoon lead it? I heard that he was deciding between the two of you."

"Thanks for the insight, Solarstorm!" Harvestmoon purred and dashed off with Thornnose at her heels. The two warriors disappeared into the bracken, both loudly arguing who will get there first.

Solarstorm turned towards Pepperfeet and Spiritwalker and purred. "You'll have to excuse my Clanmates; they can be real pains in the tail."

"It's obvious that you have something to say," Pepperfeet growled, not buying what he was selling. "Spit it out already."

Solarstorm's happy gaze soon turned somber. "I was thinking about what you said earlier, and I want to help in any way possible."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Pepperfeet hissed.

"Because I don't want my kits to end up like previous apprentices," Solarstorm mewed sternly.

"What do you mean?" Spiritwalker quietly asked.

"Thistlestar was right when he meant that he cared for the kits," Solarstorm explained. "But…not in the right way. I'm not sure what your code says, but he makes kits apprentices at three moons old."

"That's preposterous!" Spiritwalker gaped.

"Well, it's true," Solarstorm went on. "My kits are four moons old and the only reason they were held back was because they were sick last moon. They are feeling much better; thanks to some herbs from GaleClan, but any sunrise now Thistlestar will make them apprentices. He makes the mentors fiercely torment their apprentices by making them barely get any sleep and work them until they collapse. Harvestmoon's daughter, Flowerpaw, is the only surviving kit of her last litter because of the harsh training. Goldenpaw and Honeypaw both died in leaf-bare due to lack of sleep."

"That's terrible!" Pepperfeet gasped.

"So you want to help us because you don't want the same thing happening to your kits?" Spiritwalker surmised.

Solarstorm nodded. "Correct." He glanced down at his white paws. "I don't know what I would do if Frostkit or Snowkit died."

There was a pregnant pause.

"Those are lovely names," Pepperfeet softly purred.

Solarstorm looked up, his eyes blinking. "Thank you," he breathed. "My mate, Petalpelt, chose them and she shares the same fears as me. We both agreed that if things don't change around here soon, we'll take the kits over to GaleClan. We might get killed by Thistlestar if he finds out, but it would be worth it." His dim gaze suddenly hardened. "I will tell you anything you want, but promise me that you'll change MapleClan. I don't want to keep training kits to their death. Even the she-cats are afraid of having kits because they don't want them to die so young."

"We promise, Solarstorm," Spiritwalker meowed. "How does your Clan run?"

"Batear runs patrols every day," the mottled white and ginger tom explained. "Thistlestar makes him order patrols to conquer more territory from the rogues and GaleClan. We mark our borders every day and hunt so that every cat has enough to eat…if they catch any. Leaf-bare is hard and that's why we steal more territory if we have to; the other cats are too weak to defend it so it's an easy taking. Also, the queens and Thistlestar are the only cats who are guaranteed a meal during leaf-bare. I can't recall how many days I've gone without food during leaf-bare."

"What about Stormstar's kits?" Pepperfeet asked.

"Thistlestar made them apprentices two moons ago," Solarstorm reported. "They are now Bluepaw, Dawnpaw, and Echopaw. Those kits work hard and they deserve to see their parents again."

"Thank you for telling us this, Solarstorm," Spiritwalker meowed. "That is all that we need for now."

"It's my pleasure," Solarstorm nodded. "Just…please turn MapleClan into a better Clan." He pointed with his tail in the opposite direction. "Just keep heading that way until you reach the Large Claws. I'll make sure Thistlestar and Batear are there in a few sunrises."

"Thanks again, Solarstorm," Spiritwalker purred as he and Pepperfeet padded into said direction.

The MapleClan warrior merely nodded and watched as the two disappeared into the bracken.

* * *

"That was nice of Solarstorm," Pepperfeet commented once she and Pepperfeet made their way around the Large Claws towards the former FrostClan territory.

Spiritwalker nodded, but he couldn't avoid his gaze from the river that laid two fox-lengths to their left. He still remembered the frigid water and how he struggled to swim to the surface. He shook at the thought.

"Um…Spiritwalker?" Pepperfeet asked, drawing him out of his murky thoughts. "What's up?"

"Uh…the sky?" Spiritwalker joked, but his friend was clearly not amused.

"I'm serious, frost-brain!" Pepperfeet snarled, her black tail puffed up. "Something's been on your mind ever since you fell into the river. What's wrong?"

"Since when did you care?" Spiritwalker retorted. "A few sunrises ago, you could've cared less about me!"

"It just irks me how…distant you've become since earlier today," Pepperfeet softly replied. "Do you not like getting wet or something?"

"No…it's not that…" Spiritwalker replied and he steadily gazed at the churning waters not far. He shuddered. "It's just that…when I was still alive and an apprentice… a few friends and I were playing one leaf-bare day…"

_"__Come on, Spiritpaw!" a rust-colored tom with bright green eyes called as he bounded over the snow piles towards the edge of the trees. "Creampaw, Owlpaw and Wishpaw are already at the river!"_

_ "__Coming, Amberpaw!" Spiritpaw chirped and dashed after his older friend. He ran into the snow piles, making the dusty snow fly all over the place and onto his cream tabby fur. He finally caught up with Amberpaw and three other apprentices on the edge of the river. _

_ "__Let's play on it!" a gray tabby tom with amber eyes suggested once Spiritpaw had reached the group. _

_ "__That's frost-brain, Owlpaw!" replied a cream-colored she-cat with blue eyes. "Who knows if the river is frozen solid?" _

_ "__Stop being a worry pigeon, Creampaw!" Amberpaw shot. "It looks safe to me!"_

_Before Spiritpaw's sister could respond, two apprentices from the other side of the river barged from the frozen reeds and landed on the river. The ice beneath them supported their weight and they played as they slid on the frozen sheet._

_Owlpaw smirked at Creampaw. "See? If they can play on it, so can us." He didn't wait for a response and padded towards the edge of the river. "Hey!" he called loudly. The two apprentices stopped playing and glanced at the FrostClan apprentice. "Can we play with you?"_

_ "__Of course!" replied a dark ginger tabby tom with blue eyes. "My mentor tested the river this morning and it's safe to play on!"_

_ "__Thanks!" replied Owlpaw and without hesitation, he launched himself onto the ice and slid around. "Whoa! You should try this!"_

_ "__Wait for me!" replied Wishpaw, a delicate pale gray tabby she-cat, and she skid after her brother._

_ "__You coming, Creampaw?" Spiritpaw asked his sister, who remained on the shore. _

_ "__You go ahead, Spiritpaw," Creampaw mewed softly. "I have a bad feeling about this."_

_ "__If you say so," Spiritpaw replied and gazed at Amberpaw. He stretched out a paw towards the ice. "She-cats first."_

_Amberpaw glared at him. "Rude," he growled and proceeded to climb on the ice and slip and slide around. _

_Spiritpaw smirked and leapt on the ice. He forgot how slippery ice could be and struggled to get to his paws. He dug his claws into the ice and somehow managed to get a grip and stand on his four paws. His accomplishment was ruined when a SalmonClan apprentice slammed into him from behind. Both toms went slipping and sliding two fox-lengths away from the others._

_ "__Sorry!" replied the dark amber tom with golden eyes. He somehow quickly got to his paws. "I didn't watch where I was going."_

_ "__It's alright," Spiritpaw replied. He tried to get on his paws, but he slipped instead. The SalmonClan apprentice grabbed Spiritpaw's scruff and hulled him upward. "The trick is to remain still as possible and don't panic," the apprentice explained once Spiritpaw found his footing. "Also, lots of practice! My name's Acornpaw."_

_ "__Mine's Spiritpaw," the FrostClan apprentice replied._

_ "__Care to play tag?" Acornpaw asked._

_ "__Sure thing!" Spiritpaw purred and quickly tapped Acornpaw's shoulder with his paw. "Tag, you're it!"_

_ "__Hey, that's not fair!" Acornpaw laughed as Spiritpaw scooted away. _

_ "__Oh, but it was!" Spiritpaw laughed as Acornpaw used the ice for his advantage. He launched himself at Spiritpaw and slid on his belly with his paws out. Spiritpaw saw him coming and quickly side-stepped to the left. _

_ "__You're good, for a FrostClan cat!" Acornpaw commented as he managed to stop his skidding. He turned around and crouched down. "But can you dodge my awesome attack?" Without warning, Acornpaw launched himself at Spiritpaw and the two tussled on the ice. Spiritpaw managed to get his hind paws under Acornpaw's underbelly and shoved the SalmonClan apprentice off of him. _

_ "__Take that, SalmonClan cat!" Spiritpaw teased and swiftly got to his paws. He loved skirmishing with this cat, despite the fact that Acornpaw was an enemy cat. _

_Spiritpaw's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a loud yowl. He glanced up at the shore and saw Iciclestar standing on the shoreline. His white pelt blended perfectly in the snow, but his blue eyes were chips among the snow. "What are you doing? How dare you play on the ice with enemy cats?" _

_When no cat dared to respond to the Clan leader, he let out a snarl. "Owlpaw, Amberpaw, Wishpaw, and Spiritpaw, come back here at once!"_

_ "__See ya around…maybe?" Spiritpaw hopefully asked as the three other apprentices slowly made their way towards their furious Clan leader._

_ "__Of course! At Gatherings!" Acornpaw purred and playfully shouldered him._

_ "__Spiritpaw!" Iciclestar's angry mew echoed on the ice._

_ "__See ya around!" Spiritpaw called as he bounded on the ice. He wasn't looking where he was going and he landed paws first onto a worn-out piece of ice. Due to the rough treatment of the ice when the apprentices were playing, the ice gave away and Spiritpaw landed face first into the icy water._

_ "__Spiritpaw!" Iciclestar yowled and carefully made his way towards the hole where the young apprentice had fallen. The other apprentices followed his lead and they surrounded the crater, hoping for any sign that Spiritpaw was alive._

_There was none._

"Oh, Spiritwalker…I didn't think about that!" Pepperfeet soothed once Spiritwalker had finished his tale. "You must've been traumatized when you fell in earlier today!"

"Yeah…it was pretty bad," Spiritwalker sighed. "Ever since then, I had a constant fear of the river. That's why I was frozen when we journeyed to SalmonClan and why I was so harsh to you after I fell in."

"It's all right," Pepperfeet meowed sympathetically. "If…if it makes you feel better, we can travel around the Large Claws tomorrow when we visit the rogues."

"Thanks, Pepperfeet, but that will cost us daylight. I can manage just fine walking next to the river now that you know," Spiritwalker responded. He gazed happily at his friend. "Now…let's get a move on. I don't want to spend any more time here than we have to!"


	10. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the lateness of this chapter; an issue came up with my cat that resulted for her to be in the vet for a few days. Luckily, she's better now and making a full recovery!**

**Warriors © Erin Hunter**

**Cats © Me**

* * *

"Rah!" Toast squeaked as he landed on Spiritwalker's tail. He grabbed the tail with his front claws and gently bit down on it. "I got you, Spiritwalker!" he chirped with a mouth full of fur.

Spiritwalker purred and gently removed his tail from the kits' mouth. "You sure did, Toast," he replied amusingly.

Toast beamed at his praise while Crumbs appeared at his side and roughly shouldered him. "Quite being such a show off, Toast!" the light brown tabby she-cat growled. "You knew that I was trying to show Spiritwalker my new moves!"

Toast puffed out his chest and glared at his sister. "You should've been quicker, then!"

Crumbs let out a growl and crouched down into a hunter's crouch. She was about to leap onto her brother when Honey dashed by, chasing after a silver, fluffy feather. The feather landed a tail-length away from the cream-colored tabby and black she-kit. She crouched down and leapt onto the feather. It slipped out of her paws and fluttered another tail-length away.

"Watch me get it first, Crumbs!" Toast squeaked as he dashed after the toy, leaving his sister in the dust.

Crumbs stood with her mouth agape before sprinting after her littermate. "Wait for me, Toast!" she growled.

Spiritwalker rolled his eyes; kits will be kits, no matter what time period you come from. Though he couldn't help but wonder, as the kits argued and played over the silver feather a fox-length away from where he was sitting, if he had any kin that was still around. Both of his parents died in a Thunderpath when he was an apprentice back when FrostClan's borders stretched further than they used to. His only kin before he died was his sister, Creamtail, and he did not remember if she had a mate or kits. It would be nice to know if any cats in the group here were his long lost kin.

"Are you feeling better, Spiritwalker?" Pepperfeet asked, concern lacing her green eyes as she stared down at him. Earlier that sunrise, Spiritwalker's eyes were bothering him; he swore the sun grew brighter and shone more whenever his eyes would glance near the sun, causing them to ache. Pepperfeet had suggested that he rest for a little while before they left for the rogues later that sunrise.

"Much better," Spiritwalker replied and got to his paws and stretched. "I was probably just tired."

Pepperfeet snorted and twitched her whiskers. "Well, if we're going to see the rogues, we better leave now."

Spiritwalker silently agreed with a simple nod and the two made their way out of camp. Before they could leave, Peaches met them at the entrance of the camp. The young ginger tabby tom lightly bounced on his paws and twitched his claws in excitement.

"Hey, when you get there, give ol' Talon a swipe or two for me, okay?" Peaches happily asked and bounded away before they could reply.

"Let's hope there won't be any tussling when we arrive," Spiritwalker murmured, but loud enough for Pepperfeet to hear him. The two traveled silently through the old FrostClan territory towards the Large Claws and the river. Just like when they traveled to MapleClan the previous sunrise, they took a right around the massive boulders with the rocks to their left and the river to their right. Spiritwalker silently gulped when they passed the river and Pepperfeet placed her tail on his shoulder in assurance. They shared a quiet glance before continuing on their way.

"Well, this is it," Pepperfeet meowed as they reached a stretch of dark oak woods. Thickets and brambles laced around the grassy bottom with small rocks and boulders scattered about. The place was an ambush waiting to happen.

Pepperfeet casted Spiritwalker and helpless glance. "Are you sure that we have to talk to them? We aren't exactly on good terms…"

"I'm sorry, but we must speak with every group in the area," Spiritwalker explained somberly. "StarClan's counting on me to accomplish their mission."

The black and white she-cat sighed and grunted in discomfort before letting Spiritwalker take the lead into the forest. They two padded silently and casted glances around them, expecting to see a patrol behind any boulder or fern. After a few minutes of complete silence and without any interruptions, Pepperfeet spoke.

"I'm surprised we haven't seen any cat yet," she commented, hoping that she didn't just jinx their options.

"I'm flabbergasted as well," Spiritwalker replied, his ears pricked and his eyes scrutinizing the territory. It was odd that the most deadly and violent group hadn't ambushed the two cats yet; there weren't any scent marks at the border either. Just as he finished those thoughts, a fuzzy ginger tom slammed into Spiritwalker's side. He landed not far and scrambled to his paws. A dark brown tom and a cream and brown she-cat growled and hissed at Pepperfeet, who was returning the gestures back, and blocked their only clear way out. The fuzzy ginger tom fluffed his fur and padded towards Spiritwalker. He pressed his muzzle a whisker-length away from Spiritwalker's muzzle, and he nearly had to real away from the horrible stench that came from his rotting mouth.

"What are you doing here, loners?" the tom growled.

"We wish to speak to Talon," Spiritwalker meowed calmly.

The ginger tom gave the StarClan cat an odd look. "And humor me…why would we do that?"

"You just want to learn the location of our camp so you can retaliate!" the cream and brown she-cat hissed.

As the three rogues growled, Spiritwalker shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Oh well…I was just wondering if Talon, or any cat, was interested in learning how to become a powerful group," he mentioned.

The ginger rogue's eyes lit up at the sound of "power". "W-What do you mean, loner?" he growled. "We already are a powerful group."

"There's more to it than you already know," Spiritwalker shot back.

The ginger tom gave it a moment's thought before nodding his head. "Alright…we'll take you, but if you dare try any tricks on us, we'll shred you before you can beg for mercy."

"Understood," Spiritwalker meowed.

The rogue glared at him before leading the way with a wave of his fluffy tail. The group padded wordlessly through the undergrowth with the two other rogues walking on either side of Spiritwalker and Pepperfeet. They came to a wall of tall thistles and brambles with a log providing the only entrance through. The ginger rogue led the way into the log and, after a rough shove from behind, Spiritwalker followed. He wrinkled his nose at the horrible stench that came from the rotting log and thick slime covered the walls and ground. Spiritwalker's pawsteps made an ugly sound as he stomped through the muck. He graciously gave his thick pelt a vigorous shake after he left the log. As he waited for the others to arrive, he took in his surroundings.

The camp looked like it was created during a storm long ago. Several fallen logs piled and leaned onto each other, creating dens inside. The same mucus that dripped in the entrance log was draped on the logs in camp. Moss also grew on the trees, provide a surplus of bedding. On top of the highest log stood a brown tom. Muscles rippled under his thin fur and multiple wounds and scars laced around his body, covering his flank and face. One could tell that this wasn't a cat who you wanted to mess with. Digging his claws into the slick bark, the tom leapt down the logs with care and padded towards the group.

The battle-scarred rogue growled. "Well, well, well…what do we have here?" He circled around Spiritwalker and Pepperfeet and eyes them as if he were eyeing a juice piece of prey. "A couple of Jetstream and Lightningblaze's cats wandered too far from home? You're a long way from the pines, filthy scum! You'll be lucky if you leave his camp in one piece."

"We just want to talk," Spiritwalker simply replied, keeping his fur flat. He recognized the tom as Talon, the cat who led his group on an ambush on the cats back at camp. Pepperfeet, on the other paw, was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check as she stared at her father's adversary.

"Well then…" Talon growled and sat in front of them. "I'm listening."

Spiritwalker paused for a moment, surprised that the leader of the vicious rogues was actually letting them explain themselves. "Well…have you ever heard of StarClan?"

"Let me stop you there, scum," Talon interrupted and raised his front left paw in silence. "What's stopping me from keeping you two as hostages? After all…my greatest enemy's daughter is standing right in my camp." He glared at Pepperfeet and a sneer appeared on his face.

Pepperfeet hissed and strutted right up to Talon. "You will pay for what you did to my mother!" she snarled, her fur all fluffed up and her green eyes blazing.

Talon merely snickered and glanced away. "You wouldn't understand our motives, she-cat," the dark brown rogue growled.

"Why don't you try me?" Pepperfeet hissed.

Talon snorted. "Our group shares a common goal, to be the strongest out of all the cats in the forest. Only the strongest survive and the weak perish. The cats in this group are the strongest in the forest, and that makes us unstoppable." He motioned towards the pile of logs where cats poked out from the openings, peering out into the clearing where the others sat. "They trust in me to lead them, because I am the strongest. At my command they will rip your throats out before you can blink. We vow to eradicate any who dare to oppose us and to purge the forest cats of their weaknesses."

"You are wrong, Talon," Spiritwalker challenged, malice dripping in his voice. "There is something stronger than you."

"And what might that be?" Talon sneered.

"StarClan."

"What's a StarClan?" the fuzzy ginger rogue asked.

"If they dare attack us, we'll be ready!" the cream and brown she-cat snarled.

"Do they have the power of the stars or something?" the dark brown tom asked

"Quiet you lot!" Talon snarled, silencing the three rogues. "Excuse my cats, sometimes Sniff, Timber and Cinders can be rot-brains. Now…what's this about…'StarClan'?"

"StarClan is the place where all cats go when they die," Spiritwalker explained. "They watch over the Clans and send omens or prophecies to warn them of potential danger. In StarClan, you are reunited with your loved ones who have passed away. They also grant Clan leader's nine lives."

Talon's amber eyes lit up. "Nine lives?" After Spiritwalker nodded, Talon added, "So…when a cat who has nine lives dies…they come back to life?"

"For the majority of the time, yes," Spiritwalker replied. While Talon contemplated this, Pepperfeet leaned over and whispered into her friend's ear.

"You never mentioned that part!" she whispered excitedly.

"I thought it would be the wrong message to send if I told everyone that Clan leaders receive nine lives," Spiritwalker replied. "But I thought that it would be the only way to convince them to come to the Large Claws."

"Alright…" Talon interrupted. "How does one receive nine lives?"

"First, you need to form a Clan and StarClan needs to approve of you to lead said Clan," Spiritwalker meowed. "Meet me and the other leaders at the Large Claws at the next full moon. StarClan will arrive and hopefully approve of you to lead the Clan."

"Will we receive our nine lives then?" Talon fervently asked.

"We shall see," Spiritwalker replied.

"Very well. I shall meet you there," the leader of the rogues agreed and then let out a growl. "Now get out of my territory. Sniff, Timber and Cinders, lead them out, will you?"

With a gruff shove from Sniff, Spiritwalker and Pepperfeet left the camp with Cinders and Timber behind them. As they exited the smelly log, Spiritwalker could've sworn he saw Talon hiding behind a tree.

_Perhaps he doesn't trust us,_ Spiritwalker thought.

When they reached the beginning of the dark oak forest, Sniff let out a growl. "Alright, this is as far as we go. Now leave."

"Don't forget to meet us at the Large Claws!" Spiritwalker called as the rogues disappeared.

"I don't know why you bother," Pepperfeet shrugged when the rogues were long gone. "They'll never become a Clan with Talon leading them."

"I know," Spiritwalker replied. "But it never hurts to try."

"The forest will hurt when Talon receives his nine lives," Pepperfeet growled. "You never mentioned that before."

"I didn't want the position of a Clan leader to become an all-powerful cat with nine lives," Spiritwalker explained.

"Did you have a Clan leader when you were still alive?" Pepperfeet asked.

"Yes. Our original leader, Froststar, had already passed when I was born and her deputy, Iciclestar, was our leader," Spiritwalker replied.

"What was he like?"

"Iciclestar…was a great leader," the StarClan tom recalled. "He tried his best to follow in Froststar's example, but he was never in her shadow. He was brave, noble and wise. He never yelled unless there was an emergency and was always there for any cat who needed advise or just wanted to talk. He participated in patrols regularly, insisting that he was a contributing member of the Clan as well. No cat could've asked for a better leader."

"He sounds like a great leader," Pepperfeet purred.

"He was, and I am grateful that he was my leader before I passed," Spiritwalker agreed. "He gave me my warrior name when I died; Spiritwalker, so that I could safely make it to StarClan and walk among my ancestors."

Pepperfeet didn't comment, but merely nodded.

"Now, let's head back to camp and relax for a few sunrises, until the day of the full moon arrives."


End file.
